WASHINGTON, Oct. 28— In an unusually candid assessment, David A. Stockman said the other evening that the Administration's drive to balance the Federal budget by 1984 ''is now seriously behind schedule for a hundred little reasons - and no one's particular fault.''

In that remark and others, Mr. Stockman, the budget director, seemed to be acknowledging that after a fast start, the Administration's campaign to get control of the Federal budget - to stop the ''hemorrhaging'' -is experiencing acute frustration.

The budget deficit is the most politically potent symbol of the problem. The more Congress worries about the deficit, the more likely it is to vote for the spending cuts President Reagan wants - or the selective tax increases that the Administration is expected to recommend in addition to the minor revenue-raising proposals the President made on Sept. 24.

So, of late, Mr. Stockman has taken to saying that other people's forecasts that the deficit could climb as high as $100 billion in the fiscal year 1984, running from Oct. 1, 1983, to Sept. 30, 1984, should not be dismissed. ''Not out of the ballpark'' was the appraisal he used before a subcommittee this morning. Meanwhile, the Treasury Department announced that the 1981 Federal budget deficit was $57.9 billion, $3 billion higher than was forecast by President Reagan in March and $42 billion higher than originally projected by the Carter Administration, Need for 'Serious Action'

Observing that ''there are enormous upward pressures'' on spending, Mr. Stockman asserted, ''We are at the point where Congress is going to have to consider some very tough and very serious action to bring the deficit down.''

Members of Congress have been telling Mr. Stockman and the Reagan White House that they thought they were taking tough, serious action when they voted with the President on the first budget resolution for the fiscal year 1982, which began Oct. 1, and for the budget reconciliation act, which mandated spending cuts in many nonmilitary programs.

Mr. Stockman replies that for the ''hundred little reasons,'' the Administration must prescribe more nasty medicine, as Mr. Reagan did on Sept. 24 when he said nonmilitary appropriations must be cut by an average of 12 percent from his own reduced March proposals. Next week, the President is expected to specify the second dose when he submits to Congress a list of proposed cuts in individual ''entitlements,'' such as food stamps, military and civil service pensions and health care.

The 34-year-old budget chief has begun to send a second message to Congress and the public - that it will be no calamity if the budget is not balanced by 1984, a pledge Mr. Reagan made as a candidate in 1980. No 'Fetish' for Balanced Budget

''I don't think anybody's talking about literal accounting balance or making a fetish'' of a balanced budget, Mr. Stockman told the National Press Club Monday evening.

This view, that a downward trend in the deficit is what counts, was articulated the other day by Alice M. Rivlin, the director of the Congressional Budget Office, who does not speak for the Administration. ''A balanced budget by 1984 is unlikely,'' she said. ''The real question is will the deficit go up or down. If the direction is down, it's less likely to be inflationary. If the direction is up, then we're all in trouble.''

Representative Jack F. Kemp, an upstate New York Republican who was the original House sponsor several years ago of the three-year tax cut passed in August, said some months ago, ''Republicans no longer worship at this shrine of a balanced budget.'' That was surely news to the Republican chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico, who is struggling to draft a second budget resolution for 1982 that would keep Mr. Reagan on track toward a balanced budget in 1984, the first since 1969. Representative Kemp's View

In an interview, Mr. Kemp explained his view of the deficit in two sentences:

- ''The American people will base their decisions in 1982 and 1984 not on the deficit but on the indicators,'' which Mr. Kemp listed as ''unemployment and inflation.''

- ''A $30 billion to $40 billion deficit in 1984 in a three-and-ahalf-trillion-dollar economy would be virtually a balanced budget.'' Mr. Kemp rejects criticism that the problem of a ballooning deficit is rooted in the three-year, 25 percent tax cut that Mr. Reagan fought for and that Democrats opposed as excessive. Mr. Kemp contended that the heart of the problem was the Federal Reserve's tight-money policy, which he sees as thwarting the economic expansion that would produce enough revenue to balance the budget -an expansion the tax cut was designed to produce.

Democrats and others observe that the Administration has exhorted the Federal Reserve to keep money-supply growth under tight restraint and that the contradiction Mr. Kemp complains of has been inherent in Administration strategy all along.

Prospects now are that tight money and an economic slump that Mr. Reagan has called a business-cycle recession may chip $15 billion to $20 billion from the revenues forecast for 1982. Some of that could be recouped from the higher excises on tobacco and alcohol the Administration is expected to recommend. Spending at Heart of Problem

But it is the spending side of the budget - the side the Administration has emphasized as central to its goal of shrinking Government's role in the economy and its appetite to borrow funds that might otherwise go to investment - that is the heart of the deficit problem.

Spending control is an inherited problem. In 1981, today's Treasury Department report showed, spending totalled $660.5 billion, far more than the $616 billion President Carter first proposed in January 1980.

In July, Mr. Stockman reported prospective 1982 outlays up $9.5 billion from his March estimate, with the start of the fiscal year still 10 weeks away. Now he reports $7 billion to $10 billion ''in potential additional outlays just since the July estimates.''

There are many reasons for this tendency. As Mr. Stockman's ''hundred little reasons'' comment suggested, no President can contain all forces acting on the budget. Mr. Reagan is still wrestling with the most important set of forces - the decisions Congress makes about appropriations and individuals' benefits.

Illustrations: Photo of David A. Stockman


A Federal judge ruled yesterday that the physical test for applicants to New York City's Fire Department discriminates against women. He said that a new test must be developed and that up to 45 women must be appointed to the department.

In his ruling, Judge Charles P. Sifton said that the test did not ascertain the qualities needed to perform well as a firefighter. The test involved such things as carrying a 120-pound dummy on one shoulder up and down a flight of stairs, scaling an eight-foot-high wall and running one mile.

Addressing the question of the strength and speed needed to perform firefighting duties, Judge Sifton said: ''What must be identified are not those who are strongest or fastest, but instead those who, with the benefit of training in pacing or because of their native capacities of endurance, can perform the punishing tasks of firefighting as they are actually required to be performed.''

The women ordered added to the force would be the first to serve as uniformed members in the 117-year history of the Fire Department, said Fireman Kenneth F. Wentz, a spokesman. The department is the largest in the country, with 11,200 members. Of the nation's five largest cities, only Chicago has a woman in active firefighting service.

The ruling by Judge Sifton in Federal District Court in Brooklyn came in a class-action suit brought in 1979 by one of the 80 women who completed but failed the physical test the previous year.

City officials said they had not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling. Commissioner Charles J. Hynes said that ''the Fire Department is reviewing the case, and at this time we have no comment on it.''

The court's decision was immediately criticized by the head of the firefighters' union as mandating a ''reduction in standards for entrance to the job.'' The union had joined the city in defending the invalidated test.

The woman who brought the suit, 30-year-old Brenda Berkman, is a lawyer who practices in Manhattan. She was a student at New York University Law School when she took the Fire Department physical examination in February 1978.

Under Judge Sifton's 133-page ruling, the women to be appointed would be chosen from a pool of approximately 400 women who sought in 1977 and 1978 to become firefighters and who are found to be still interested in the jobs. Procedures to determine who among this group are ''qualified for appointment'' are to be set by the parties in the litigation, the judge said.

He set no deadline for a new test, but he warned that if the parties could not ''expeditiously'' agree on the procedures, he would fix them. Group of 410 Women

In addition to the Fire Department and the union, the Uniformed Firefighters Association, the parties in the litigation include the city's Department of Personnel and Civil Service Commission and the group of women represented by Miss Berkman in her class-action suit.

Judge Sifton defined the group as ''410 women who took the written portion of Exam 3040'' - the number of the invalidated test - ''and are alleged either to have taken the physical portion of Exam 3040 and failed it or to have been deterred from taking it as a result of sex discrimination by defendants.''

It appeared, however, that the women who would be chosen if the judge's ruling stands might be drawn from a slightly smaller pool - the 389 women who passed the written part of the exam. About 90 of the 389 then took the physical part; 80 completed the test, but failed it.

Judge Sifton arrived at the appointment figure of up to 45 women after estimating how many women might have passed the physical test and been hired, ''given a sex-neutral exam and sex-neutral call-up rate.'' First Chance for Women

The physical test that Judge Sifton invalidated was the most recent to be given in the city for firefighter and the first that women were permitted to take, according to Laura Sager of the Women's Rights Clinic of the Washington Square Legal Services Inc. The group, which is operated by New York University Law School, argued for Miss Berkman, along with the law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton.

Judge Sifton rejected the contention of city lawyers that the exam was ''job related, that is, that the test was valid because it accurately selected those applicants who will make better firefighters.''

The physical test has seven parts, including a standing broad jump of at least 6 feet 2 inches and an obstacle course. Miss Berkman said yesterday that she was very pleased by the decision. ''That is what we asked for and that is what we got,'' she said.

She said her performance on the test in 1978 had varied. ''I wasn't able to carry the dummy up and down a flight of stairs in the requisite amount of time, but I did very well on the mile run.'' Test Called 'Dangerous'

Asked whether she would now accept a firefighting position, she said, ''That's a tough question because I've been waiting four and a half years, and no one has offered it - even yet.''

Speaking of the requirement to carry the 120-pound dummy, Judge Sifton said such a carry ''would be dangerous in the extreme to carrier and carried alike.'' He added that the dummy used in the test was ''cylindrical, covered in canvas without handles or other articulation, and presented initially a considerable technical problem to the uninitiated as to how to lift and hold it.''

He noted that only four women in the test ''appear to have succeeded in lifting the dummy.'' As for the requirement to scale the eight-foot wall, which almost all the women failed to do, he said: ''Whether this was because of a failure of technique or because of lack of ability cannot be determined in individual cases. However, technique clearly played a large part in the successful completion of the test by other candidates.''

Nicholas Mancuso, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, assailed the ruling. ''The Civil Service Commission had validated the test,'' Mr. Mancuso said, adding that the exam assessed the qualities necessary for what he called a ''physically demanding job, a hazardous job and a dirty job.''

''It's not that we're opposed to females coming on the job,'' he said, ''but we don't want a reduction in standards for entrance to the job.''

More than 2,600 men have been hired as firefighters from the list of eligible candidates developed from the now-invalidated test. Of nearly 17,000 men who completed that physical test, 46 percent passed.


WHEN the four Republican candidates for Governor appeared together in Newtown last Tuesday night for a debate sponsored by the Republican Town Committee, State Representative Mae S. Schmidle of Newtown, serving as moderator, decided to break away from the usual introductions larded with biographical detail.

She put the four names in a hat and asked each candidate to draw the name of an opponent to introduce. But there was a hitch that brought smiles from the candidates. Each somehow had managed to draw his own name.

After Mrs. Schmidle quickly rearranged the drawing, Richard C. Bozzuto, a former Senate minority leader, had to introduce State Senator Russell L. Post Jr. of Canton.

''One of the outstanding candidates,'' Mr. Bozzuto began. ''What's this 'one of' stuff,'' Mr. Post interjected. Mr. Post, in introducing Mr. Bozzuto, described him as an ''active, longtime, dedicated Republican'' then glanced over to see reporters making notes of his remarks.

''We're going to be eating these words for weeks to come,'' Mr. Post said. With a hint of double meaning, Lewis B. Rome, also a former Senate minority leader, introduced State Senator Gerald Labriola of Naugatuck as ''one of the freshest faces, one of the freshest guys,'' on the Republican scene.

Noting that Dr. Labriola was a pediatrician, Mr. Rome suggested that Dr. Labriola could best serve Connecticut by staying in that profession for the next baby boom.

''Thank you for that balanced endorsement,'' said Dr. Labriola as he introduced Mr. Rome. Dr. Labriola said he had been so impressed by Mr. Rome that he wanted ''to include him on my ticket.''

All four candidates said later there was no way they would settle for a lesser spot on each other's ticket.

The old controversy about entertainers mixing in politics surfaced again recently, when Representative Toby Moffett of Litchfield, now campaigning for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, brought in Carly Simon, the rock singer, to support his effort.

Hundreds of college students turned out at Southern Connecticut State College in New Haven, the University of New Haven in West Haven and Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport to meet the politician and the singer. Some presumably hoped Miss Simon would sing one of her hit tunes.

Miss Simon neither sang nor spoke. ''I'm not really a speaker,'' she told reporters. ''I felt it really wasn't my place to speak, it was Toby's place. I wanted to lend Toby all the support I could, and learn as much as I could. I consider myself to be a student on the majority of the issues.''

But Miss Simon said entertainers should not abstain from political activity just because it might raise some eyebrows. ''I think if they know what they're talking about, they can speak out and people can listen to them,'' she said. ''I think people have a responsibility, whether they are performers or not, to do their homework.''

Mr. Moffett said many artists, writers and actors had worked in his campaign because they lived in his district, Connecticut's northwest corner. He said he sees nothing wrong with involving them ''as long as you don't make it your main activity.'' ''My activity 99 percent of the time is with my people on the street. No one's ever accused me of being a jet setter,'' he said.

In an experimental program, Yale University is giving its leftover food to New Haven charities. Alan R. Kenney, director of Yale's 17 dining halls, said Yale donated between $60 and $90 worth of leftover milk, cottage cheese, canned fruit and other goods last week to the New Haven Food Salvage Project, a group collecting food for 18 community poverty organizations.

Mr. Kenney said the food was left over because Yale students left the campus Friday for their two-week spring vacation. ''We used to throw the food away. Now we've found a use for it,'' said Mr. Kenney, a 1967 graduate of Yale. One of the coordinators of the project, Mari M. Kitahata, a 1980 graduate of the university, said the donation showed that the university cares about New Haven's poor.

''It's a very big step for Yale and the community,'' Miss Kitahata said.


Walking on upper Broadway one evening, I saw a man selling books that were laid out neatly on the sidewalk. People were stopping to examine the books, and a woman was making a purchase. When I drew closer, I saw that these books had probably been salvaged from trash or garbage cans, that they were the sort of volumes people put out in shopping bags or cardboard boxes when they thin out their shelves or when they move. Two titles caught my eye: ''The World Almanac of Facts, 1959'' and ''The New School Spring Catalogue, 1971.''

Yet people were browsing here, out of some form of interest, sympathy, yearning or nostalgia, and I felt that I was observing the primitive magic, the mystery or the romance of books. These were books come upon unexpectedly in an eccentric setting, second-or third-or tenth-hand volumes that carried with them a history of human contact and affection. Lying on the pavement like that, they suggested found objects, or serendipity.

There was an element of perversity, and of melancholy too, in this sidewalk book sale, as if these books bore some remote resemblance to the people one sometimes sees lying on the pavement. Yes, it seemed to say, books are peculiar things, resistant to organization, orphans of society, gypsy artifacts. A book is an unpredictable affair, a maverick influence.

I couldn't help contrasting this independent or irregular aura with the supermarket atmosphere of the bookstore chains, where you feel that you're being offered only those books that everyone else is reading, that there's no personal relation between you and your choice, no surprise. There's something distasteful about a hundred copies of a book being shown in a window or piled in redundant stacks on a table. Though we know that books are mass-produced, we like to pretend that each is our own secret.

In some indirect way, the sidewalk display reminded me of the bookstores of 20 or 30 years ago, the ones that lined Fourth Avenue below 14th Street, for example. Most of them were sunless caverns and basement labyrinths, with books piled in disorder, as if disorder were intrinsic to books, on tables and floors. Often the proprietors in these places were eccentric or surly men who might stare accusingly at you when you asked for a title, making you feel like you were an unsuitable candidate asking for their daughter's hand in marriage.

On Eighth Street, Joe Kling, with his black eye patch, looked like a pirate. Pete Lader, a taciturn man on West Fourth Street, could tell a good book by its cover, or by some sixth sense, for though he was not an avid reader there were very few dull books on his shelves. Periodically, he used to drive to other cities, where, for reasons that were never clear to me, certain sought-after books did not sell. At one time when Faulkner and Celine were out of print and scarce, Pete Lader told me that you could pick up their books in Philadelphia and Boston. Across the street, in a small windowed basement room, Larry Sackin lurked behind a high bookcase in the center of the floor that served as a barrier between the customer and himself. If you pursued him, he would retreat around this island. He was deaf, or pretended to be deaf, and you had to write your desire on a scrap of paper which he would briefly glance at as if it were obscene. His deafness seemed variable, but if in your impatience you shouted a request, he would wince and sidle away, as much as to say that a book's title, like a lady's good name, should not be bruited about. Larry Sackin kept maddeningly irregular hours, and sometimes, even when he was there, he would not unlock the door, no matter how desperately you gesticulated or grimaced at him through the window.

A friend of mine said that a bookstore should have an almost ecclesiastical atmosphere, and in their way Joe Kling, Pete Lader and Larry Sackin were rabbis muttering among their cabbala. Benjamin Bass at the Strand was a street corner evangelist crying out the dolors of a business where books came and went like faithless children. Like a medieval cathedral where fugitives from the law found sanctuary, the Strand was filled with people trying to escape the persecutions of ordinary life.

Twenty or 30 years ago, young people used to open a bookstore as they join an ashram now. In the middle of an untraveled block, in a ground floor or basement room with a glass front, you might see a young man with unkempt hair and a tattered sweater sitting amid his books, his miraculous relics, with a beatific expression. It didn't matter that he had few customers, for he was something like a holy beggar.

As the sidewalk vendor suggested, the magic of books can surface in unlikely places. I walked into the most ordinary sort of shop in Waikiki, Honolulu, and found a large table right at the entrance heaped with copies of ''Finnegans Wake.'' There were six or eight piles of perhaps 20 books each.

This was about a year after it was published, and my first thought was that the book was being remaindered - but no, these copies were at the full price. When I asked the saleswoman why there were so many, she shrugged. ''It's what they're asking for,'' she said.

Illustrations: drawing of disgarded books


KHARTOUM, the Sudan— A debate is sharpening in the Sudan over the destiny of the southern part of the country, an area that is ethnically affiliated more to the bulk of black Africa than to the Arab northerners who predominate in Khartoum.

The conflict has already caused one of Africa's most debilitating civil wars, and, according to Bonar Malwal, a senior southern politician, the differences between the Sudan's Moslem north and the Christian and animist south are such that they could lead to renewed unrest.

In the wider confrontations that permeate northeastern Africa, some Westerners and Sudanese also see Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, as a possible player in the dispute.

Libya entered an agreement last year with Ethiopia, which borders the Sudan and gives sanctuary to some southern Sudanese dissidents. In a recent interview, President Gaafar al-Nimeiry of the Sudan said he believed Colonel Qaddafi, a bitter ideological and personal adversary, would use the agreement to infiltrate agents along the Sudanese-Ethiopian border and ''buy Sudanese'' to stir up trouble.

Civil War for 17 Years

The Sudan's northerners and southerners fought for 17 years until 1972, when General Nimeiry achieved what many see as his most siginificant success by granting the south a large measure of autonomy and thus ending the civil war.

Now, the President's opponents charge, General Nimeiry has changed his attitude and is supporting calls by some southerners for a division of the south into three sub-regions - a move that would reduce the south's political influence in national affairs and dilute its autonomy.

In the closing months of last year, President Nimeiry dissolved the south's ruling bodies and replaced them with a military-led administration of his own choosing. When 21 southern politicians banded together to oppose the division of their area, President Nimeiry ordered their detention, and kept them under arrest while National Assembly elections were held.

According to Western diplomatic sources, many of the Sudan's Western allies view the President's challenge to the south as a blunder that has compounded the difficulties facing him from a faltering economy, a restless army and dissatisfaction among Islamic leaders in the north. Committed to Decentralization

But, in an interview, the Sudanese leader said he was committed under the Constitution to a continuing process of decentralization of the Sudan, and he insisted that the demand for division of the south had initially come from some southern leaders.

The president said he was following the constitutional formula for decentralization. The National Assembly, he said, would vote soon on the issue and, if the proposal was supported by 75 per cent of the legislators, a referendum would be held in the south on whether the region should be subdivided or not. If two-thirds of the southern people agreed to the division, he added, then the south would be subdivided.

Much of the current debate is over the constitutionality of the President's steps. Mr. Malwal said he believed the President had infringed the constitution, arguing that the National Assembly vote and referendum should have preceded any dissolution of the southern government. Election Promised Soon

President Nimeiry says the National Assembly vote and referendum will be held soon, before the rains engulf the south in a few months time and make an election logistically impossible. He declined, however, to set firm dates.

Mr. Malwal said, ''Politically we do not think it is justified for the President to put himself in a position of making a choice for the people of the south when they enjoy their autonomy.'' The President's actions, he said, were ''not legal constitutionally and should not have been done.''

''By dividing the south, the south will be politically weaker,'' Mr. Malwal said. ''If the people of southern Sudan feel that the will of the central government is against them, then we might by accident arrive at a civil war. We hope it can be avoided.''

The dispute is further complicated by divisions among the southerners. Mr. Malwal belongs to the Dinka tribe, which holds the ethnic majority in the south and which has dominated the southern government - an institution that controls the police and other important governmental functions. Dinka Domination Opposed

Another key southern political figure, Joseph Lagu, argues, however, that Dinka domination has gone on too long and works against the Equatorian people who, he says, contribute most to the running of southern Sudan.

''A lot of people see the present situation as a carve-up of the south between Nimeiry and Lagu,'' a western diplomat said. ''There are even northerners who feel Nimeiry has embarked on an unecessary course in view of his other problems. This could well lead to a serious confrontation.''

''The trouble will arise,'' the diplomat said,''if Nimeiry tries to force the outcome of the referendum in his favor.'' Underlying the dispute, the diplomats said, is an economic consideration. Oil has been discovered in the southernmost of the northern provinces, where the Standard Oil Company of California has spent about $300 million on exploration. There has been talk of exploration by other Western oil companies extending into Bahr el Ghazal, part of the autonomous southern Sudan that would become a separate region if subdivision goes ahead.


WHITE PLAINS, Jan. 19— The Consolidated Edison Company signed an agreement today for the purchase of electricity from a $180 million garbage recycling plant being built in Peekskill. The pact could be a factor in the replacement of 600,000 barrels of oil and produce savings for Westchester County taxpayers.

Arthur Hauspurg, Con Edison's president and chief executive officer, said it was the company's ''first garbage-to-energy contract'' and indicated that it could serve as a prototype agreement for any solid waste plant built by New York City.

The ''energy purchase agreement'' was signed with Michael D. Dingman, chairman and chief executive officer of Wheelabrator-Frye Inc. of Hampton, N.H., which is building the Peekskill facility. Mr. Dingman said his company had operated a similar facility in Saugus, Mass., since 1975 and was selling its power to a nearby General Electric plant manufacturing jet engines.

County Executive Alfred B. DelBello, who has pursued the concept of a garbage disposal plant since taking office in 1973, said the electricity agreement represented ''the major underpinning of the plant's infrastructure.'' It will represent $20 million a year in revenues, or two-thirds to three-quarters the cost of operating the plant, including payment of debt service.

Mr. DelBello said: ''That's $20 million not being sent to Arab states. We're helping the balance of trade.'' Con Edison was obliged to buy the power under Federal legislation, the year-old Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, which seeks to encourage co-generation of power. But Mr. Hauspurg said the utility was glad to do so in this case as part of its ''energy strategy'' to replace foreign oil and to help the county in its the garbage disposal problem. No Savings to Customers

Mr. Hauspurg said the plant's 55 megawatts of electricity, representing 1 percent of the Con Edison's total production, would be purchased at a price equal to the utility's ''avoided costs,'' or the costs Con Edison would have incurred had it generated the power itself or purchased it elsewhere. He said it would ''displace whatever is the highest cost of energy at the time,'' probably oil from the Middle East.

He was asked at a news conference if the utility's ratepayers might have benefited if a lower price had been negotiated. ''There is no saving to the customer,'' Mr. Hauspurg acknowledged, ''but no loss, and that's important. If the plant wants to sell it at a lower price, I'll give the discount.''

Mr. DelBello indicated that savings would be felt in the county when he said ''the benefit we seek is lower cost to the Westchester taxpayer in getting rid of garbage.'' The cost of ''tipping,'' or dumping, fees is likely to be absorbed through real estate taxes in the 35 Westchester municipalities that have agreed to produce 420,000 tons of garbage annually as fuel for the energy producing incincerator.

The dumping costs, which could amount to $60 a ton, or double the present amount, when the plant begins operation in 1985, are to be produced in two parts. There will be a basic $17 tipping fee and the remainder will be raised in a special solid waste taxing district, similar to a sewer or water district, embracing all 35 communities. The taxing district must be approved in a referendum that is likely to be held in late March.

Mr. DelBello indicated that revenues from the sale of electricity would rise as the ''avoided costs,'' or price of Arab oil, increased in price. Thus the electricity revenues would not only help to offset the revenues required from the taxing district, but they also could be seen as inflation-proof in matching the cost of Arab oil, long a major component of inflation.

The City of Peekskill is likely to benefit most directly from the pact, with its Con Edison customers receiving a 10 percent to 15 percent reduction o n electricity bills. The s aving will come in matching any rise in the price of Arab oil, l ong a major component ofinflation.


THE Winter Antiques Show, the nation's most important fair for second-hand objects, opens tomorrow for a nine-day run at the Seventh Regiment Armory, Park Avenue at 67th Street. Collectors and dealers from throughout the United States and from Europe will be on hand in the baronial hall to inspect vintage prizes - some with royal pedigrees - in the booths of 73 dealers, many of whom save the plums from their stocks all year to present at this prestigious show.

Other events have also been scheduled this weekend to attract antiques enthusiasts who have gathered for the armory show, which frequently sets style trends and serves as a barometer for market prices. These events include presale exhibitions of next week's Americana auctions at Sotheby Parke Bernet, Christie's and Phillips, Son & Neale (for more details, see Auctions, page C24) and the World Antiques Market Conference, which will be held Sunday through Tuesday at the Pierre Hotel. The conference, which is sponsored by Antique Monthly, a trade newspaper published in Tuscaloosa, Ala., will offer lectures and panel discussions on collecting, taxation and investing and visits to the city's museums and auction houses. Admission for the three-day conference is $250 (call 243-3314 for more information).

This year folk art and Americana have upstaged the English antiques that have traditionally been one of the dominant sectors at this fair. In addition, the variety of wares has increased, thanks to the addition of dealers who specialize in areas not represented before. While prices seem to be as high as ever, most dealers are also stocking some moderate-priced offerings as well to attract new collectors.

One of the many changes at this year's blue-chip bazaar is the addition of some prominent new faces among the dealers. Four merchants' booths have been added. ''Tha t means,'' said Russell Carrell, the show's manager, ''that there's at least a half-ton more wares to choo se from.'' Among the newcomers is the Benjamin Ginsburg Antiquary on Madison Avenue, for decades one of the renowned names inthe antiques business. Mr. Ginsburg and his wife, Cora, will strengthen th e show's representation of American furniture and textiles with such offerings as an unusual Delaware Queen Anne lowboywith Spanish feet at $25,000 and a rare Rhode Island needlework picture of Ad am and Eve at $37,500.

Armin B. Allen, who formerly headed the department of European porcelains and works of art at Sotheby's of New York is one of the newest of New York's dealers. He will offer a rare blue-and-white porcelain veilleuse (a soup-warmer and night light) made for an 18th-century Italian cardinal for $9,500 and a pair of 17th-censtury south German boxwood figures of a woman and a man wrapped in flowing drapery depicting Peace and Discord ($20,000 for the pair). Also new to the show are Frederick Victoria, the New York dealer who is offering palace-quality French furniture, Edward Merrin, the Fifth Avenue antiqui ties dealer, and Newcomer/Westr eich, a folk art dealer from Washington. Accent on Folk Art

American folk art is stronger than ever at this fair. Peter Tillou has two extraordinary gilded metal weather vanes - a regal,four-foottall rooster made near Lancaster, Pa., around 1890, which is priced at $15,000, and a poker-faced ram from New Hampshire dating from about 1885 that is $20,000. George E. Schoellkopf, Inc. has stacks of color-pulsing Amish quilts and eight portraits of a Midwestern family - six children and their parents all in canary yellow frames -painted by an anonymous 19th-century artist. He's asking $75,000 for the set.

Gerald Kornblau brought four unusual figures - parts of, or complete 19th-century cast iron hitching posts. The rarest is a seated dog, a robust creature almost three feet tall. Mr. Kornblau said he had never seen one like it before. A boldly modeled head of a jockey, which is the finial of a hitching post, is most impressive, too. Another post, a black stable hand, an uplifting figure cast in the 1860's by Wood & Perot, is an arresting study. The fourth is a conventional jockey figure in riding habit. Each post is being offered for under $10,000.

Folk art at the show takes many forms. James and Nancy Glazer have an absorbing collection of eastern Pennsylvania earthenware, splendid examples rangig from $2,200 for a red earthenware octagonal bank to $32,000 for a molded plate dating from 1805 embellished with a tersely drawn figure of a costumed Continental Army officer generally acknowledged to be George Washington.

One of the earliest forms of American folk art - decorated powder horns - are on view at Guthman Americana. William Guthman brought about a dozen to the fair and he is displaying each separately. They range in price from $500 to $7,500. The incised decorations of birds, trees and animals on these horns are in sharp contrast to the raised work on British horns. From Brass to Biedermeir

The show's variety of wares is stunning, and the categories from American furniture through Russian imperial silver, from antiquities through Art Deco have increased, too. A case in point is the assortment of glittering brasses seen in three booths, particularly those at Bedford Green. There, a air of engraved Dutch candlesticks dating from 1780 are priced at $1,900 and an 1800 double-handled jug measuring 20 inches tall is $1,175. Biedermeier furniture - German and Austrian neo-classical pieces from about 1810 to 1840 - has been gaining in popularity and it is a major feature in the York House booth.


G4S (LSE: GFS) announced that it plans to divest its U.S. government solutions business, which provides security, fire protection, facilities management, training and mine clearance services to U.S. government organizations. In 2012, the unit had revenue of approximately £400 million. www.g4s.com The Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) said that it plans to sell off its retail and refining groups. The moves come amid a proxy fight with hedge fund Elliott Management, although Hess insisted the plans were in process before Elliott became involved. For its part, Elliott said that the “announcement is incomplete and it lacks accountability.” www.hess.com

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) has acquired Metrics Hub, a Bellevue, Wash.-based provider of cloud monitoring services for Web applications. No financial terms were disclosed. www.metricshub.com RWE AG, Germany’s second-largest utility company, has put its oil and gas exploration unit on the block. Reuters reports that the sale could generate upwards of €5 billion. www.rwe.com

VMware Inc. (NYSE: VMW) has sold SlideRocket, an SaaS-based online presentation solution, toClearSlide, a San Francisco-based developer of a cloud-based platform for enterprise sales teams. No financial terms were disclosed. VMWare had purchased SlideRocket in 2011. ClearSlide has raised nearly $40 million in VC funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, Felicis Ventures and Greylock Partners. www.clearslide.com

Sign up for Dan’s daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers: GetTermSheet.com

TranS1 Inc. (Nasdaq: TSON) has agreed to acquire Baxano Inc., a Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of minimally-invasive spinal devices. The deal is valued at approximately $23.6 million (including $550,000 in cash), plus refinancing approximately $3 million of Baxano debt. Baxano had raised over $58 million in VC funding from CMEA Capital, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Affinity Capital Management, Prospect Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners and Kearny Venture Partners.www.trans1.com

Summary: G4S (LSE: GFS) announced that it plans to divest its U.S. government solutions business, which provides security, fire protection, facilities management, training and mine clearance services to U.S. government organizations. In 2012, the unit had revenue of approximately £400 million. www.g4s.com The Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES) said that it plans to sell off its retail and refining groups. The…


The Leadership Insider network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question “How can you turn an internship into a full-time job?” is by Ryan Harwood, CEO of PureWow.

Internships are typically your first experience in the work world. It’s unknown territory. And while there is no exact formula for turning your internship into a full-time job (especially at a small startup), here is some advice that could be helpful, no matter what industry or office you’re working in:

Be social This seems like frivolous advice, but nothing will benefit you more than building lasting relationships. Introduce yourself to people (unprompted). Attend company events (and mingle). Get lunch with your coworkers. All these little things help people remember you, so when a position becomes available they won’t be heading to LinkedIn, they’ll be calling you.

Keep your expectations in check The worst thing you could possibly do is to head into an internship expecting to get a job. No one is going to hand anything to you. Instead, focus on doing your best work, and going above and beyond expectations. When I held my first internship, I was tasked with browsing around for competitive intelligence. This seemed like a mindless task, but instead of handing my boss a bunch of random ideas at the end of the day, I spent time figuring out which ones were working, which were not, and why. Eventually a few of these ideas actually passed in a product meeting and one was fully implemented.

Stay humble Again, obvious advice, but as an intern no task should be beneath you. You may be writing a story for the website one day, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be getting coffee and collating papers the next. Remember, you’re there to help them, and only then will they be more willing to help you.

Show confidence Beginning an internship is intimidating. Everyone around you operates the same way and somehow understands this secret unspoken language. As an intern you may feel like you’re bumbling through the office with a very limited idea of how things work, but confidence in your own abilities is so important. Because if you don’t believe you deserve a job, they won’t either.

Be unafraid to fail It’s easy to use the excuse–“I’m an intern and I haven’t been here long enough”or “I don’t know how this works and I can’t do this.” But it’s better to try and try again, even if you completely miss your mark. This will show your coworkers you’re willing to take risks and not afraid to fail.

Use your time wisely There will come a time when you’re an intern and you complete a task, but everyone else is busy, and you will essentially have “nothing” to do. The difference between a good intern and great intern is what they do when they have nothing to do. A great intern sees the end of their to-do list as an opportunity to find new projects or meet new people, essentially becoming more valuable to the team. So instead of sitting around stalking the Kardashian’s or obsessively checking ESPN, come up with organized, researched ideas. Your eagerness to go above and beyond will leave a lasting impression, and showcase your creativity.

Read all answers to the Leadership Insider question: How can you turn an internship into a full-time job?

3 ways to turn your internship into a full-time job by Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg.

Summary: Find opportunities to make people remember you.


FORTUNE — Readers who post comments critical of Apple AAPL in this space are often accused of being shills for Samsung, provocateurs paid to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about Samsung’s chief U.S. competitor.

With rare exceptions — a guy who called himself The_Truth_Hurts comes to mind — I prefer to assume those charges are false. There are plenty of people who have good reason to dislike Apple, and who will happily bash the company for free.

But it doesn’t help their cause that, as the BBC reported Tuesday, Taiwanese fair trade authorities are investigating reports that Samsung hired students to criticize rival phone maker HTC — posting fake benchmark reviews and made-up reports of HTC phones “constantly crashing.”

According to PC Advisor, Samsung’s Taiwanese subsidiary has admitted that the incidents occurred. It called them “unfortunate” and put a statement on its Facebook page promising to “cease all marketing activities that involve the posting of anonymous comments.”

If found guilty of false advertising, Samsung could face fines of up to of 25 million Taiwanese dollars ($836,000).

Summary: Accused of hiring students to post negative comments about rival HTC's phones.


06/09/2015 AT 12:35 PM EDT

found beauty and fitness inspiration from an interesting source:

star dropped a seemingly offhanded comment – calling Wentworth's husband

"something of a sexual icon" – during

in September, but Wentworth took the words to heart.

and called George a sexual icon, and I was in my pajamas eating cereal, and I went, 'Oh, great. I'm married to a sexual icon,'" Wentworth told PEOPLE Monday at the launch party for her new book,

in New York City. "So I immediately called up to get Botox because I thought: 'I've gotta step it up! I've gotta shave my legs!' "

Wentworth, 50, later got the chance to thank Dunham for the motivation.

"She was eating lunch, and I was eating lunch in the same restaurant, and I sort of know her just from like, 'Oh, I love you!' and I said to her, 'You gave me a great chapter in my book,' " adds Wentworth. "So she thought that was very funny because I said, 'You called George a sexual icon.' And she was like, 'He is! He is!' And I was like, 'Stop saying that! I'm holding on by a thread!' "

Jokes aside, Wentworth credits her sleek physique to cardio and core training.

"I go on the treadmill and watch

, and I just started doing Pilates," says Wentworth, adding: What I mean by Pilates is I lie on the mat and talk to my trainer, Heather."

Summary: "Lena Dunham came on GMA and called George a sexual icon, and I was in my pajamas eating cereal, and I went, 'Oh, great. I'm married to a sexual icon,'" says the Happily Ali After author


Shaft" director John Singleton has a baaaad mutha - at least according to a woman who claims the film maker's mom threatened her at Monday's premiere of his movie. A former Singleton girlfriend, producer Julie Brown, told cops yesterday that his mother, Shella Ward-Johnson, "grabbed her in a bear hug and threatened her.

" Brown told police she and Singleton got into a "verbal dispute" at the Ziegfeld Theater gala because he had chosen to escort another woman, Carmen McLaughlin, to the event. A friend of Brown tells us that the couple had dated for three years and been talking about getting married and "pre-nuptial agreements.

" The pal says Singleton told Brown earlier in the day that he was "bringing a young lady who was helping him with his daughter, Justice.

" Brown came to the premiere anyway. According to the friend, when Singleton refused to have "a private conversation," words were exchanged and his mother started "running around in circles taking photographs and laughing at them having this disagreement.

" After Singleton dashed down the theater's stairs, Brown's friend says, his mother "approached Julie, squeezed her and told her that she would hurt Julie if she ever said anything bad about her son.

" Yesterday Brown filed a harassment complaint at the Midtown North station. Singleton responded in a statement: "I am surprised that Ms. Brown is under the impression that we have a current relationship when, in fact, our casual involvement ended three years ago. I also feel that it is unfortunate that she has chosen such a public forum to play out her misconception. Her actions appear to be [those] of a disturbed person and I am aware of a history of this type of conduct, which led to the termination of our relationship years ago.

" Later Singleton moved onto the "Shaft" party at Centro-Fly. Though he and his star, Samuel L. Jackson, have made no secret that they clashed with each other - and with producer Scott Rudin and writer Richard Price - during the remake of the 1971 blaxploitation classic, all parties agreed to spend some time together in one room of the W. 21st St. club. But after making nice for a few minutes, Rudin, Price, Jackson and Singleton split off into their individual VIP areas. Richard Roundtree, the original John Shaft, aligned himself with Jackson. Much as he likes the new version, he says, "I wish they'd given Sam a little more freedom. For one thing, I think John Shaft today would be having sex.

" Jackson agreed that, if he does another "Shaft" installment, he should get more booty - "a little more.

" With the movie looking like the action hit of the summer, Jackson appeared to have put any beefs with Singleton behind him. Before the night was through, the two were jumping up and down on the dance floor. Also seeming to have made peace with Jackson was old antagonist Spike Lee, who joined a crowd that included former Washington D.

C. Mayor Marion Barry, Isaac Hayes, Puffy Combs, Heavy D., Ja Rule, Grace Jones, Star Jones, Nas, Pras, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Kelsey Grammer, Heidi Klum, Adrien Brody, Toni Collette, Kyle MacLachlan, Russell Simmons, Jimmy Smits, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, Vanessa Williams, along with Wesley Snipes and Taye Diggs, who kept dancing at the club's Soul Kitchen party till 5 a.

m. A long rapper sheet Rapper Black Rob is back in jail, the same place he began his music career writing lyrics. The latest star on the Bad Boy Records label was put in the slammer yesterday by a Manhattan judge after he surrendered himself to authorities. He had been out on bail on a weapons possession charge and when he failed to show up in court last month, a bench warrant was issued for his arrest. Yesterday the hip-hop star - whose real name is Robert Ross - was held without bail, according to Gloria Montealegre, a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney. She added that when Ross was arrested May 21, he had been out on parole on a prior conviction and said he might have to serve the last five months on his old sentence. Ross is next due in court Aug. 29. Unless his lawyers can get him out soon, he may miss the rest of a national tour due to end June 24 in Philadelphia. Tyson stops for death Mike Tyson isn't letting his upcoming U.

K. bout stop him from remembering one of his best buds. Just last week, 34-year-old Darryl Baum was hanging out with the champ at his Arizona training camp. Baum flew back to New York, but then he was shot in the head and died Saturday in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood where he and Tyson grew up. Tyson was due to start training in London today, but a friend tells us, "Mike's too upset. Part of him feels he should have kept him in Arizona.

" Still wrestling with marriage problems, Tyson feels like "the world is crashing in on him," said the friend. Following Baum's funeral in Brooklyn this week, Tyson is due to board the Concorde Sunday and start training in London for his June 24 fight vs. Lou Savarese. Itemizing WRITER GEORGE Plimpton has something sex king Hugh Hefner wants: testosterone gel. Plimpton, 73, writes hilariously in the new Men's Journal about testing out the libido-stimulator at a party at the Playboy mansion. Hef, age 74, who had been wearing testosterone patches to keep him frisky for his four girlfriends, ended up asking Plimpton where he could get the new ointment. You can ask Plimpton about it tonight when he joins humorists Calvin Trillin and Ian Frazier for 8 o'clock readings at the 92nd Street Y benefitting the East Harlem Tutorial Program. Tickets are $60. GUESTS WHO stuck around for the credits at last night's premiere of "Boys and Girls" got an eyeful. "American Pie" star Jason Biggs gets supermodels Kylie Bax, Renata Verbaan, Ines Rivera and Kristy Hinze to join him in a dream sequence that turns from sexy to gross. Apart from saying it involves lingerie and flatulence, we dare not try to describe it. But test audiences are rating it up there with Meg Ryan's fake orgasm in "When Harry Met Sally " BIGGS, BY the way, also co-stars with Christina Ricci in the coming "Prozac Nation," but the actress couldn't be seduced to appear with him in the film "Loser.

" Partly that's because Ricci refused to utter a raunchy line about oral sex. Biggs' "Pie" co-star Mena Suvari gladly grabbed the role. She tells Movieline: "If you take any line out of context, it could seem rude or be misunderstood. Christina Ricci took it too literally.

" DICK CAVETT, Chuck Scarborough, Chuck Zito and agent Darren Prince are down for the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons benefit tonight at jeweler David Yurman's boutique on Madison Ave.

Summary:
Shaft" director John Singleton has a baaaad mutha - at least according to a woman who claims the film maker's mom threatened her at Monday's premiere of his movie.
   A former Singleton girlfriend, producer Julie Brown, told cops yesterday that his mother, Shella Ward-Johnson, "grabbed her in a bear hug and threatened her."
   Brown told police she and Singleton got into a "verbal dispute" at the Ziegfeld


Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. (Getty)

Former British prime minister Tony Blair has rejected claims that the invasion of Iraq fuelled the current wave of Islamic terrorism.

Blair blamed a "closed-minded" view of the world for the extremist threat and insisted it was right to oust Saddam Hussein.

He was challenged about his decision to take the UK to war as he appeared on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.

A member of the audience at the Swiss ski resort told Blair: "I think you have a great responsibility for the conflicts we have now."

Blair responded by saying that Hussein "wasn't exactly a force for stability, peace and prosperity for his country" and was responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of people.

"So, look, we can debate this but what interests me is that there is always a reason - you are suggesting the extremism all comes from that decision," Blair said.

"But then we see the extremism in France that, by the way, was opposed to Iraq, and then it's the cartoons.

"And then you have what happens in Belgium - what is the reason for that? And then you see what is happening in Nigeria, or Central African Republic or Mali, and then you see, when Gaddafi was removed in Libya we also now have huge instability there."

He said there was no intervention in Syria, where "we have got probably the worst situation".

"So my view is you can debate the political decisions, but at some point we have got to understand this extremism has grown up over a long period of time, over decades, its roots are deep within a perversion of the religion of Islam."

Do you have any news photos or videos?

Summary: Former UK leader Tony Blair has been confronted at the World Economic Forum with claims he has a "great responsibility" for current terrorism threats.


March 18 (Reuters) - Malaysia's customs agency hopes to reach an agreement soon after the London Metal Exchange threatened to stop registering metal in the country if a new tax affects its two bonded zones there, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Star newspaper cited Subromaniam Tholasy, director of the custom agency's tax unit, as saying his department would be looking into the matter to come up with an amicable solution soon.

The world's top metals market has been seeking details on how a new Malaysian goods and services tax, due to come into effect April 1, will impact metal stored in LME warehouses in Johor and Port Klang, the LME said on Monday.

If it cannot get confirmation by then that transactions and storage charges will not be taxed, the LME will stop issuing warrants at the two Malaysian locations from July 1, it said in a notice to members. That would prevent new metal at the warehouses from being used to back LME contracts.

Malaysia is a major storage point for LME metals, holding more than 420,000 tonnes, including nearly half of the LME's nickel stocks, 85 percent of its tin, a third of its lead and almost a fifth of its copper inventories.

(Link to story : http://bit.ly/1HYXKhj

(Reporting by Melanie Burton in MELBOURNE and Anuradha Raghu in KUALA LUMPUR)

Summary: March 18- Malaysia's customs agency hopes to reach an agreement soon after the London Metal Exchange threatened to stop registering metal in the country if a new tax affects its two bonded zones there, local media reported on Wednesday. The world's top metals market has been seeking details on how a new Malaysian goods and services tax, due to come into effect...


SAO PAULO, July 14 (Reuters) - Sky-high power prices in Brazil following the worst energy crisis in 15 years will favor quick expansion of distributed solar generation in the country, according to investors and consultants.

Startup companies are already offering packages that include financing for installation, embarking on a generation model that has caught the government's eye as it scrambles to increase power supply.

Brazil's power sector watchdog Aneel is holding public hearings to discuss regulations to expand the system. It expects distributed generation to reach 2 gigawatts by 2024, up from nearly nothing now. At current installation costs, that would amount to 15 billion to 20 billion reais ($4.79 billion to $6.38 billion) in investments.

"Power generation, particularly solar and wind, is basically the only sector detached from the current economic crisis in Brazil," said Mario Lima, a director with consulting firm EY in Rio de Janeiro.

"Solar is very quick to install so it has a huge advantage over other sources in the current situation," he said.

Distributed generation (DG) refers to electricity generated at the point where it is consumed. The model usually works with solar photovoltaic panels on rooftops, connected to the grid. Consumers produce enough power for their own use and sell the surplus to the grid.

Brazil's power prices rose about 17 percent last year and will jump 41 percent further this year, according to central bank estimates, as expensive backup thermal plants work around the clock.

As a result, DG has become more attractive.

"Brazil is a huge opportunity regarding solar generation. Power bills are very high, solar radiation factors very strong and the market is basically virgin," investor Henrique Loyola told Reuters.

He recently sold his stake in XP Investimentos, a large Brazilian stock brokerage, and is investing 20 million reais with three partners in a new company called SolarGrid. Loyola expects to go from 50 clients in June to 1,000 by the end of the year.

Large utilities are also interested in the sector.

"The Sao Paulo area has high potential for distributed generation. A lot of people with high purchasing power and high energy consumption," AES Brasil president Britaldo Soares told Reuters in a recent interview.

Soares said AES Brasil, controlled by AES Corp, is looking at solutions carried out by AES Distributed Energy in the United States and evaluating whether it can replicate some of them in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area.

(Additional reporting by Luciano Costa; Editing by David Gregorio)

Summary: SAO PAULO, July 14- Sky-high power prices in Brazil following the worst energy crisis in 15 years will favor quick expansion of distributed solar generation in the country, according to investors and consultants. Brazil's power sector watchdog Aneel is holding public hearings to discuss regulations to expand the system.  "Power generation, particularly solar...


If Puerto Rico misses that one, "it would be an earthquake for the markets," said Matt Fabian, a partner at Municipal Market Analytics, a financial research firm.

"Defaulting on the Public Finance Corporation bonds was a change in direction," he said, referring to the government unit whose bonds have been in default since Monday. "Defaulting on the general obligation bonds would change the game entirely."

Mr. Fabian said he doubted Puerto Rico would risk such a move.

Still, market participants trying to understand Puerto Rico's overall negotiating strategy see that a pattern may be taking shape. Monday's bond default was preceded by a missed payment into a similar pot of money, collected in advance to make scheduled payments on the Public Finance Corporation's bonds.

It was not paid as scheduled on July 15 because it depended, in turn, on the Puerto Rico Legislature making an appropriation by the end of June, when the current budget was enacted. No appropriation was made, but the significance was not widely recognized at the time.

Two weeks later, when no prepayment was made, officials in Puerto Rico said it was still not tantamount to a default. But by the time the actual default took place, on Monday, active market participants were not surprised.

Read MoreMoody's says Puerto Rico has defaulted

Summary: Puerto Rico has temporarily stopped making contributions into a fund to pay off additional bond debt, The New York Times reports.


This year's Bottom State for Business is Rhode Island. The Ocean State has never finished higher than 48th in our rankings. A high-tax state with some of the steepest utility costs in the country, Rhode Island's fiscal woes are persistent, hindering its ability to improve one of the worst infrastructures in the nation. Rhode Island has the highest unemployment rate in the U.S. and finishes 45th for Business Friendliness.

Rhode Island, too, is trying to improve. Last year its legislature passed more than two dozen bills to reform the business climate, roll back regulations and attract jobs. The reforms are part of a four-year plan, which officials acknowledge was sparked in part by our rankings.

Summary: States have rebounded strongly from the recession, but some long-time laggards still can't create a business-friendly environment.


U.S. President Barack Obama has been briefed on Monday's choppy global market movement, and the Treasury Department continues to monitor developments worldwide, the White House said.

The Dow Jones industrial average briefly shed more than 1,000 points after the market open Monday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq sustaining huge losses as well. But the averages recovered throughout the day, as the Dow gained back about 900 points at its high before trading about 2 percent lower in the afternoon.

Read MoreSearching for strength in the market? Look no more

It followed broader selling in Asia and Europe as slowing growth in China and emerging markets spooks global investors. The Dow and Nasdaq traded in correction territory, down more than 10 percent from their highs this year.

U.S. officials want China to implement more financial reforms, like moving toward a more market-determined exchange rate for its currency, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. The Chinese government's intervention throughout a recent stock market runup and selloff have drawn criticism from many market observers.

"They should continue to pursue financial reform to increase exchange rate flexibility and to move rapidly toward a more market-determined exchange rate system," he said.

Read MoreShort-seller Chanos on China: It's worse than you think

Earnest downplayed concerns about economic fundamentals, noting that long-term economic trends show strength in the U.S. He contended that it stands on much more solid ground than in 2008 in the wake of the global financial crisis.

Earnest also cautioned against "self-inflicted" wounds like budget squabbles in Congress that could disrupt economic momentum.

—Reuters contributed to this report

Summary: President Barack Obama has been briefed on choppy market movement, and the Treasury Department continues to monitor developments.


As for money-saving opportunities, student discounts abound. Around almost any campus, merchants will offer deals for student customers. Ask, and you may receive.

Many students think living off campus will be less costly than dorm life and a meal plan, but Therese Nicklas, a financial advisor and wealth coach for women at U.S. Wealth Management, said that's not necessarily true. Before taking that leap, Nicklas suggests talking to a college housing officer or perusing Craigslist to get an estimate of apartment rental costs, and checking the local supermarket for prices on food. Be aware, too, that an apartment roommate may bail on the rent, a risk that is not present in a dorm.

"Take a good hard look at this before you make a decision," Nicklas warned.

The good news is that the college years offer a relatively safe transition into financial adulthood. Freshmen who steer clear of credit cards, keep an eye on bank fees, keep up their grades, and go easy on midnight pizzas should be just fine.

Said Levine, "They don't have to have their whole life planned out as freshmen. But if they are paying attention, that will go a long way."

Summary: Starting college? Don't forget to take along these tips for managing and saving your money.


Albany - NY, Aug. 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new Transparency Market Research report states that the global refrigerated display cases market will expand at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2013 to 2019. In 2013, the market stood at US$8,780.3 million and is anticipated to reach US$16,283.4 million by 2019. The title of the report is "Refrigerated Display Cases Market (Plug-in and Remote) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2019" and the report is available for sale on the company website.

Browse Market Research Report on Refrigerated Display Cases Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/refrigerated-display-cabinets.html

Refrigerated display cases/cabinets (RDCs) are refrigerators or freezers that have been particularly designed for displaying as well as storing temperature-sensitive food products and products that require to be stored frozen or chilled. Owing to the increasing number of cafes, bakery outlets, restaurants, and retail stores, there has been a shift in the food habits of people, which has stimulated the market for RDCs. Additionally, increase in disposable incomes has also augmented the demand for RDCs.

Browse Press Release of Refrigerated Display Cases Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/refrigerated-display-cabinets.htm

In terms of product types i.e. on the basis of the refrigeration system, the RDCs market is segmented into plug-in RDCs and remote RDCs. Owing to the demand from medium-sized and small stores that involve small budget floor space and power, demand for plug-in RDCs is predicted to rise faster in comparison to remote RDCs. Additionally, benefits such as low installation time and portability of plug-in RDCs, due to which they can be moved according to a store plan, are amongst the factors further fuelling the demand for plug-in RDCs.

Get Sample Report Copy of Refrigerated Display Cases Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1576

In terms of product designs, the RDCs market is segmented into horizontal-top open, vertical- front open, and others including semi-vertical and hybrid RDCs. Amongst these, the vertical-front open RDCs are predicted to witness higher demand in comparison to all the other designs owing to the fact that these RDCs, just like plug-in RDCs, are more portable. The unique feature of vertical RDCs in displaying the items in a vertical fashion, by occupying relatively less space and without compromising on the number of items being displayed, is amongst the top reasons for the increase in their demand from small stores.

Other Reports Published by Transparency Market Research:

In terms of geography, the RDCs market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW). Amongst these, Asia Pacific holds high potential for growth of the RDC market, as this region's economic growth is on the rise. Here, the commercial sector, particularly restaurants, catering, hotels, and retail, is expanding swiftly, resulting in the increased demand for RDCs from this region. On the other hand, Europe and North America are witnessing huge competition owing to these regions having a great dominance of brands, namely Omega Refrigeration, Arctica Showcase Canada Ltd, and ISF Group, among others.

Browse Upcoming Market Research Reports:

Some of the key manufacturers of RDCs include Hoshizaki International, Frigoglass, Manitowoc Company, Inc., United Technologies Corporation, and Dover Corporation, among others.

The global refrigerated display cases market is categorized into the following segments:

Refrigerated display cases Market, by Product Type (refrigeration system)

Refrigerated display cases Market, by Product Design

Refrigerated display cases Market, by Geography

Browse All Other Consumer Goods Market Research Reports: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/consumer-goods-market-reports-7.html

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a U.S. based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services. TMR's global and regional market intelligence coverage includes industries such as pharmaceutical, chemicals and materials, technology and media, food and beverages, and consumer goods, among others. Each TMR research report provides clients with a 360-degree view of the market with statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, detailed segmentation, key trends, and strategic recommendations.

CONTACT: Mr. Atil Chaudhari 90 State Street, Suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 Tel: +1-518-618-1030 USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453 Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com Blog: http://www.tmrblog.com/

Summary: Albany- NY, Aug. 17, 2015-- A new Transparency Market Research report states that the global refrigerated display cases market will expand at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2013 to 2019. In 2013, the market stood at US $8,780.3 million and is anticipated to reach US $16,283.4 million by 2019. The title of the report is " Refrigerated Display Cases Market- Global Industry...


The College in West London has banned the niqab as a security measure. But the hijab, which covers only the hair and has been banned in French schools, is allowed.

Tony Mitcheson, the college secretary, said that the ban was needed "in light of security concerns raised by the terrorist incidents which occurred over the summer",Â referring to the bombings in the capital on 7 July and the attempted bombings on 21 July.

Abigail Smith, a spokesman for the college,Â said that itÂ needed to be able to identify everyone on campus. "It's not a blanket ban on religious dress - we're just asking people not to cover their faces for security reasons," she said.

Hugo Charlton, a human rights barrister, said that the college was within its legal jurisdiction to implement such a measure.

"I expect that the college does have a right, because this is private property," he said. "But I expect that the courts would say that they need a good justification for it."

On Friday, about 35 students demonstrated against theÂ measure.Â

Ruji Rahman said the ban on face veils is the latest in a string of measures designed to drive Muslims out of Imperial. The Student Union dismissed theprotest as scaremongering

The Student Union dismissed theprotest as scaremongering

"I studied hard, I got into a top university and now I'm being asked to sacrifice that because of my religion," she said.

The president of the Student Union dismissed the demonstration as scaremongering.

Sameena Misbahuddin said: "[The protest] is based on something that's not trueÂ - it's based on the banning of hijabs, which quite clearly is not the case."

Nevertheless, the Student Union is concerned that the Muslim community could feel targeted.

"There's religious discrimination that it could provoke, with the full-veil and half-veil [ban], it's open to any sort of interpretation, it could be used any time the college wants to have a problem with someone," Misbahuddin said.

Misbahuddin will be taking those concerns to college officials next week.

The ban on the niqab and the subsequent demonstration has created controversy which seems to be scaring potential students away fromÂ Imperial.

Smith told Aljazeera.net that a potential student had called her to ask if she would be able to wear her hijab at the college.

"She was thinking about cancelling her application," Smith said, adding: "And that's very worrying."

That isÂ a fear that Rahman shares. "We'll end up getting no Muslim students coming to universityÂ - just like France," she said.

Summary: Imperial College in London is battling controversy over the ban of the face veil on campus.


Ohio Governor John Kasich is running for president. He's willing to sacrifice Jim Harbaugh's vote along the way.

In 2013, Kasich urged Ohioans to stop using the letter "M" on the annual day of "The Game" between Ohio State and Michigan. Or, as it is known in Ohio, the Scarlet Letter.

Like Hester Prynne before him, Jim Harbaugh is the subject of society's chagrin. Ohio is so embarrassed by the Toledo-born coach of Michigan that the governor is adding a clause to Scarlet Letter Saturday encouraging Ohioans to avoid wearing pleated khakis.

Gov. @JohnKasich issues resolution for the 3rd annual Scarlet Letter Saturday. Beat ❌ichigan! #SayNoToKhakis pic.twitter.com/QQZDYkd8ZV

— Gov Kasich Comm Dept (@OHPressSec) November 27, 2015

The letter manages to mention Wal-Mart, a Dockers commercial, Jerry Seinfeld, Jake from State Farm and Jim Tressel's sweater vest in the same short message.

Kasich is an Ohio State graduate, so his distaste for the Wolverines has legitimacy. Naturally, this could affect his campaign efforts in Michigan. Although, even if Kasich doesn't win the Republication nomination, his Ohio influence is going to make him a prime vice presidential candidate option.

The No. 8 Buckeyes visit No. 10 Michigan Saturday at The Big House with New Year's Six bowl aspirations (and, potentially, a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game) on the line. It will be Harbaugh's first taste of the rivalry since quarterbacking Michigan to victory as a senior in 1986.

2016 Presidential Campaign, Football, Jim Harbaugh, John Kasich, Michigan Wolverines, NCAAF, Ohio State Buckeyes

Summary:
Ohio Governor John Kasich is running for president. He's willing to sacrifice Jim Harbaugh's vote along the way.
In 2013, Kasich urged Ohioans to stop...


12/03/2015 AT 03:00 PM EST

's hit tune "Boys 'Round Here" would sound like if it was done by a different artist?

Well, PEOPLE found out (sort of!) on the red carpet of the

event in Nashville on Wednesday.

While singer RaeLynn nailed her rendition of the song, Bryan, 39, fumbled around the lyrics – saying "Oh my God!" in frustration – and eventually giving up with apologies. "Sorry Blake!" he quipped.

Okay, so clearly Bryan isn't the biggest "Boys 'Round Here" fan, but it was all in good fun on a night celebrating country's biggest stars of 2015.

Bryan and Shelton were honored at the bash, along with

Summary: Okay, so now we know Bryan isn't a Shelton fanboy


12/07/2015 AT 07:20 PM EST

is getting candid about his difficult relationship with his father.

"He didn't ever, he couldn't say 'I love you,' " Reynolds divulged Saturday on

about his dad, Burton Milo Reynolds. "He was from that generation that didn't hug and kiss and say, 'I love you.' "

came out this fall, added that he does have one memory in which his father expressed his admiration. "He did say finally, 'I'm proud of you' and that was enough, that was enough for me," the actor recalled.

"Right now it makes me cloud up when I think of it, when he said it to me," explained Reynolds, visibly emotional. "That was 'I love you' in his way, yes."

He then retold an anecdote about the time his father, who was a police chief, threw him in jail for fighting with "every drunk he arrested." "It was a tough three days," Reynolds remembered. "Did I learn anything from it? Yeah, I learned that he was never going to say 'I love you, go home.' "

star revealed he first got involved with acting when his promising football career was derailed by an injury. "I wandered from where the football was at the university to my father who was on campus and he turned out to be in the theatre," Reynolds explained. "And I walked on the stage and it was amazing, it was like the first time I walked on a football field and I thought 'this is home.' "

While Reynolds saw a career for himself in acting, his father wasn't so convinced. "I think he laughed then he said 'how sweet.' I don't think he meant it ... it wasn't a happy day for him when I told him that I was going to go in the theatre."

Trying to assuage his father's concerns, Reynolds told him, "Well I don't intend just to go to the theatre, I intend to go into it and be a big success," adding later, "I'm very good but I'm going to do it for you." His father responded simply, "Worth a chance."

Asked how it felt never getting any love from his dad, who died in 2002, Reynolds admitted that, "A little bit would have been nice, just a tiny little piece ... I never got that." He continued, "He was a strong, strong man. I idolized him, most people did that knew him and it was tough time for me."

Growing up with that distant relationship has caused Reynolds to take a very different approach to parenting his own children. "My son, who I hug and kiss and grab and love and say 'I love you, I love you, I love you,' when he sees me coming, he covers his face but I can't help it," he said. "I don't want him to have what I have, I want him to know that his father loves him so much."

, and revealed that he was once tapped to appear as Han Solo in the original films. "I'm not a big fan of science fiction," Reynolds explained about turning down the role, but later admitted with a laugh, "I should have done it actually."

Summary: Burt Reynolds reveals his father was emotionally distant on The Jonathan Ross Show Saturday


Malcolm Turnbull with Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau. (AAP)

Australia will help fund a new Commonwealth unit to counter extremism and radicalisation targeting young people, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says.

The unit will operate in the Commonwealth Secretariat and Australia will provide $2.5 million over five years towards its operation, he announced at the Commonwealth leaders' meeting in Malta on Saturday.

The British government is the only other financial backer for the new initiative but it's hoped other Commonwealth states will come on board.

Mr Turnbull told reporters the unit would focus on finding "better means to counter the extremist narrative".

"So understanding what is attracting young people, mostly young people, to extremist ideologies, grappling with that and promoting a culture - which is very consistent of course with the culture of the Commonwealth - of mutual respect."

Mr Turnbull said extremist ideology was "dynamically driven" through online media so it was important to collaborate with other countries and agencies to learn from their experiences and respond quickly to threats.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said the two member states providing the funding gave "a very strong hint to the rest of the membership" to also support the unit.

"Because this is a cause that is going to be before us for a very long time."

Summary: Australia will help fund a new Commonwealth anti-extremism unit with $2.5 million over five years.


updated 01/12/2016 AT 10:30 PM EST

•originally published 01/12/2016 AT 08:30 PM EST

to Craig Strickland on Tuesday, a little over two weeks after he set out on an ill-fated hunting trip in winter storm Goliath.

The 29-year-old singer's memorial service was webcast live from Cross Church, in Rogers, Arkansas.

In a pre-taped video that played during the funeral, Strickland's widow Helen recalled the first time she met her late husband.

"As I walk through this exceedingly difficult and painful situation, I know that I am just getting started on my path of grief," she said.

Strickland's family also shared memories about him. "We had such a special relationship, such a bond," his dad Randy said. "My son allowed me to share in his life and I really think that's what he did for all of y'all. He invited you in. He was passionate and loving and caring."

Randy also shared words of support for his daughter-in-law, telling her she "will always be part of our family."

, Helen revealed, posting a photo of a letter she had tucked into the pocket of her late husband's jacket.

"I love you with all my heart," she wrote. "I will miss doing life with you on this earth. You were my person and are the love of my earthly life. Thank you for sharing the last few years you had with me. I know you are in better hands than mine. The Lord is taking care of you, and loves you more than I could ever imagine. I can't wait to see you again in heaven. I love you ... I can't say that enough. I will see you soon."

"Today I buried my husband. This is a picture of the letter I put in his jacket pocket. I love him with every part of my heart, but I love our God more ... and I know my God loves Craig and I more than we could ever imagine. Therefore, God has a purpose. He makes everything beautiful in its time."

She continued, "Craig established relationships with each of us so that he could see us again. So let us love one another like Craig did. Let us pray for strangers. And let us establish relationships with one another with the goal of establishing Christ-like relationships so that we can see each other again in heaven."

"It is not what we intend our lives to be, but what He intends for our lives." (C.S. Lewis)," Helen posted on

on Thursday. "Well Craig Michael, look at what amazing things God intended for your life. I am so proud of you and the impact you have had on this world."

Craig Strickland with wife Helen

Authorities in Oklahoma searched for Strickland for more than a week after he and his friend

went missing while on a duck hunting trip at Kaw Lake in Kay County on Dec. 27.

Morland's body and their capsized boat were found on Dec. 28, along with Strickland's dog Sam. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol recovered

a week later, on Jan. 4. Strickland was found in a thick tree and brush area 75 feet from the water.

"Craig was found today. We can finally rest knowing that he is at home in heaven with his father," Helen wrote at the time. "The night of the accident he had fought his way out of the water and up a hill before the stages of hypothermia set in. He experienced no pain in his final moments and simply felt like he was falling asleep. They found him lying in the shape of a cross looking up to his father."

after learning their lead vocalist's body was recovered.

"Today we lost our brother, our best friend, our bandmate. Craig was the most amazing person whose passion for life couldn't be matched," the country band wrote under a group photo. "Thankful to know he fought his way from the water to a hill and was lying in the shape of a cross on his back looking up to his Heavenly Father."

Just days before the pair went missing, Morland posted

"In case we don't come back, @BackroadCRAIG and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma. #IntoTheStorm," Morland tweeted.

Following the service Tuesday evening, Helen

"Thank you to everyone who watched the memorial service, either physically present or via webcast, tonight. I wish I could thank and hug each of you individually. But for now, all I can do is say thank you and I love you. Because of your love and prayers I know I can get through this. Thank you for loving my husband. He cared so much about all of you. Thank you CrossChurch Staff and Sisco funeral home for the countless hours you put into this service. You paid attention to every detail which allowed our family to not worry about a thing. Thank you to Shiloh Christian School for serving our family and providing food for so many people. Thank you to everyone who sent donations and flowers. Our family feels so loved and blessed. @barrettbaber thank you for the wonderful performance you shared. It was so special. @awmen @nickfloyd8 @davidmckinneyjr and @backroadanthem for putting together the most perfect service to honor Craig. It truly touched so many people. I am already hearing stories of saved lives."

"She continued, "I love you Craig Michael, I'm thankful you're with our Heavenly Father and everything is complete. I will do everything I can to carry on your legacy of establishing relationships and loving people. "I have come to realize that relationships are the the only thing we can take with us to heaven."

Summary: The singer's family and friends celebrate his life and say goodbye


02/17/2016 AT 12:10 PM EST

may have surprised many when he tweeted that he is

, but whatever the rapper's financial situation, his wife

is "well aware," a source tells PEOPLE.

"Their finances are separate, but they don't keep secrets from each other, and when it comes to things for the kids, the house they're working on, they share expenses," a source tells PEOPLE in this week's issue.

And whatever happens in the future, Kardashian, 35, likes knowing that she can depend on her own money.

"She feels good that she has her own money if things ever go south, but of course it stresses her out a little that they even have to think about finances at all," says the source.

Kardashian's 2015 earnings at nearly $53 million and West's in 2014 at $20 million. On Saturday,

he has $53 million in "personal debt,"

, saying he "personally rich" but needs "access to more money in order to bring more beautiful ideas to the world."

Summary: "Their finances are separate, but they don't keep secrets from each other," a source tells PEOPLE of Kardashian and husband Kanye West


Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the former leader and founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba,Â was put under house arrest in Lahore in August, shortly before he was due to address a rally.

After being released briefly on August 28, he was re-arrested under a lawÂ allowing authorities to detain anyone without trial for up to three months.

"The court has declared that the detention of Hafiz Saeed is against the law and the constitution and he should be released immediately," his lawyer, Nazir Ahmed Ghazi, said on Tuesday.

Saeed was still being held under house arrest in Lahore but one of his aides said it was hoped he would be released later in the day.

Saeed founded Lashkar-e-Taiba in the early 1990s but quit as leader days after India accused it of involvement in an attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001, which brought Pakistan and India to the brink of a war.

Indian police also accused Lashkar and Pakistan's military spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, of involvement in the bomb attacksÂ on commuter trains in Mumbai on July 11.

Both Pakistan and Lashkar have refuted the allegation.

Pakistan banned Lashkar-e-Taiba in January 2002.'Victory for truth'

Saeed became the head of a charity, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which the US calls a terrorist organisation because of its ties to Lashkar.

Pakistan has put the charity on a watchlist of terrorist organisations but not banned it.

A spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa hailed the court decision as "victory for the truth".

"Hafiz Saeed was detained under pressure from India," Abdullah Montazir said."The government should give us an opportunity to respond to the Indian charges instead of taking action against us."

Summary: A Pakistani court has ordered the release of the founder of an Islamist militant group blamed by <?xml:namespace prefix =


Jan. 27, 2016 7:04 p.m. ET

A jury in London put the brakes Wednesday on an attempt to pin the world’s ills on “criminal bankers,” and not a moment too soon. That should cause a broader rethink on both sides of the Atlantic about political efforts to target bankers and fine banks for allegedly manipulating a benchmark interest rate.

Six bankers had been on trial for three months over charges that they fiddled with the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor, for fun and profit. Libor, which is calculated by the British Bankers Association daily from...

A jury in London put the brakes Wednesday on an attempt to pin the world’s ills on “criminal bankers,” and not a moment too soon. That should cause a broader rethink on both sides of the Atlantic about political efforts to target bankers and fine banks for allegedly manipulating a benchmark interest rate.

Six bankers had been on trial for three months over charges that they fiddled with the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor, for fun and profit. Libor, which is calculated by the British Bankers Association daily from a poll of the interest rates banks charge each other, is used for pricing a range of derivatives and loans, such as mortgages. Regulators claim that banks and individual traders conspired to rig their reported interest rates to give themselves an advantage.

On the strength chiefly of florid press releases, authorities have extracted billions of dollars in fines from banks eager to make the issue go away. Prosecutors have secured convictions against some bankers, including London trader Tom Hayes in August, and Anthony Allen and Anthony Conti of Rabobank, who were convicted of Libor-related charges in New York in November.

Far be it from us to say that every banker is a saint. But Wednesday’s acquittals of six traders who had been accused of conspiring with Mr. Hayes are a salutary reminder that not every banker engaged in Libor-related trades is a criminal. Evidence of discernible harm from the alleged Libor-rigging has always been thin. Class-action suits in the U.S. by investors who claimed they’d been hurt by rigged Libor readings flopped, and there’s evidence that banks misreported their interest rates in Libor-setting for their own and the financial system’s stability during the 2008 panic.

Banks may have reported lower rates to appear to be in better health than they were. Regulators in London and New York also seem to have been aware at the time that this was happening and at a minimum didn’t intervene. Perhaps they recognized the financial system faced far greater problems—the result of monetary, housing, regulatory and other policies they had foisted on the banks.

Such subtleties long ago got lost in the political and media frenzy over Libor allegations, so it’s a relief that ordinary citizens in a jury room are still willing and able to exercise independent judgment. Even better if six acquittals embarrass politicians who have spent the years since 2008 blaming “criminally greedy bankers” for a crisis born in part of their own regulatory malfeasance.

Summary: Not every banker is a saint, but neither are they all criminals, says an editorial in The Wall Street Journal.


“Amy” won the Academy Award for best documentary feature last Sunday, as expected. But Louis C.K.’s introduction of the best documentary short came as an unpleasant surprise.

The comic started out OK, pointing out that, unlike the millionaires in the audience, documentary filmmakers tell important stories without any expectation of financial reward. But then he played it for laughs.

“This is the best documentary short,” he said with incredulity and to growing audience applause and merriment. “It’s not even a documentary feature. These people will never be rich as long as they live. This is going to be the nicest thing they’ll ever own in their life. All they got is this Oscar going home in a Honda Civic. It’s gonna give them anxiety keeping it in their crappy apartment.”

What a bunch of losers, making films about victims of Agent Orange (“Chau, Beyond the Lines”), the Holocaust (“Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah”), the tragedy of PTSD and the iniquities of the death penalty (“Last Day of Freedom”), the Ebola plague in Liberia (“Body Team 12”), and the grotesque crime of “honor killing” in Pakistan, where fathers, brothers, and uncles murder with impunity female family members who they think have shamed them.

That was the subject of the winning film, “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness.”

Accepting the award, the filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy said, “Thank God I have two Oscars” (she had won previously for her 2012 short “Saving Face,” about Pakistani women disfigured by acid attacks). In her speech, she pointed out how her film — which tells the horrific story of a girl who survived an honor killing (her father shot her in the face and dumped her in a river) — so moved the Pakistani prime minister that he amended the laws against that crime. “That is the power of film,” she concluded as the music swelled, giving her the bum’s rush off the stage.

Not that it should matter, but Obaid-Chinoy is also a woman (too bad gender equality is so 2015) and a person of color (this year’s big issue, which will probably be forgotten next year). Perhaps Louis C.K. intended his remarks to embarrass the limo liberals in the audience who make millions making movies that make millions, but those online who found his words hilarious (the clip has gone viral) and are calling for him to be next year’s Oscar host probably didn’t interpret them that way.

No report on whether Obaid-Chinoy was driving a Honda Civic when she returned to her crappy apartment with her second Oscar.

Watch C.K.’s Oscar presentation here:

Matadors might be the least sympathetic of athletes. Killing brave bulls in a lopsided fight isn’t everyone’s idea of sport. But Antonio Barrera, legendary in Mexico as the world’s most gored bullfighter (23 times), could tell you a tale or two about stamina and survival. At some point, even the most dedicated bullfighters have to wonder about a career change. Ido Mizrahy’s documentary “Gored” shows how Barrera had to choose between staying alive for his family and continuing a career killing beautiful beasts that have done him no wrong.

“Gored” is now available on iTunes and additional digital platforms.

For more information go to www.goredthemovie.com.

Speaking of animal abuse, if you missed “The Champions” — Darcy Dennett’s documentary about the fate of the pit bulls rescued from NFL star Michael Vick’s illegal fighting ring -- at any of its enthusiastically attended public screenings, you can now catch it online. When the decision was made to euthanize the 22 surviving canines, organizations like the Best Friends Animal Society agreed to take custody of them, rehabilitate them, and find them homes. A tribute to a much abused breed and a treat for animal lovers everywhere.

For more information go to www.championsdocumentary.com.

Many who have seen this year’s best picture Oscar nominee “The Danish Girl” from Focus Features may have been surprised to learn that transgenderism is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, as the docu-series “We’ve Been Around” demonstrates, it has a long history. An online series of six-minute shorts presented by Focus, Time.Inc, and The Advocate and directed by “Transparent” co-producer Rhys Ernst, it includes inspiring stories of transgender heroes and pioneers such as Albert Cashier, a transgender man who fought in the Civil War, and Lucy Hicks Anderson, a woman of color who fought for her marriage rights in the Prohibition era.

The “We’ve Been Around” series can be followed at people.com, advocate.com, EW.com, and essence.com.

John Gianvito’s documentaries are avant garde both politically and aesthetically; they confront injustice with a poetic sensibility that is compelling and profound. His film “Wake (Subic)” completes a diptych entitled “For Example, the Philippines, after Vapor Trail (Clark)” which began in 2010 with “Vapor Trail (Clark).” The two films eloquently expose the little known toll of violence, destruction and environmental damage left behind by the closing of US military bases in Third World countries.

“Wake (Subic)” screens at 3 p.m. on March 13 at the Harvard Film Archive. The director will attend the screening.

For more information go to http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/films /2016marmay/wake.html.

Summary: The comic’s comments about the best documentary Oscar short came as an unpleasant surprise to anyone who thought the winner deserved better than jokes.