October 15, 1992

SHE could be home now. And she is: why, here's Ann Magnuson herself, receiving a visitor with Southern courtesy in what she calls her bachelorette pad on Avenue A. That would be the two-and-a-half rooms near Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan, with the charming kitchen view of the airshaft, the festive-but-yet-so-functional green fire escape, and the spectacular "Honeymooners" brick wall a mere pigeon-swoop away. It's not at all what you expected and yet it's just what you expected, this lair of the performance artist, actress and writer, a downtown diva with out-of-town capability. She won a new extra-club audience of millions for her role as an obsessive magazine editor on the late but lamented "Anything but Love," an ABC sitcom. Now, Ms. Magnuson's astringent one-woman show, "You Could Be Home Now," has opened at the Joseph Papp Public Theater and will run at least through Nov. 1. A disorienting evening of monologues, songs, dances and character studies, it is an edgy investigation of a fundamental question: "What is home?"

Federal health officials are looking again at an old prevention for tuberculosis - venerable but somewhat dubious vaccine known as BCG. Article, page B4.

President Bush heads into tonight's second Presidential debate with a still daunting challenge: the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll shows that Gov. Bill Clinton retains an undiminished lead and is actually viewed more favorably by the voters despite the Republican pounding of the past 10 days. The survey, conducted Monday and Tuesday, shows that Ross Perot made some gains in the voters' esteem after the first Presidential debate on Sunday night. But he still lags far behind the two major-party candidates heading into the second confrontation tonight at 9 in Richmond.

It is perhaps a sign of the times that Barry Zimbler, already a few months behind on his mortgage and desperate to take almost any job, went on television tonight wearing a crisp white shirt, staring glumly at the camera and talking about his experience in a "multifaceted position" with a small Manhattan jewelry manufacturer. "I was there approximately 13 years," he said in a monotone, as his name, his job title, director of computer operations and identification number, 103, flashed across the screen. "I was recently let go and I have been seeking employment ever since. Thank you very much." One in 10 Jobs Gone As the recession continues to take its toll, wiping out nearly one out of 10 jobs in the New York metropolitan area, Mr. Zimbler, out of work for more than 18 months, turned to the airwaves tonight, in a rare television campaign to reach out to the casualties of the economy.

Under pressure from lawmakers and shareholders who have criticized large executive salaries, the Securities and Exchange Commission will approve rules Thursday that will require publicly traded companies to disclose in full how much top executives earn and will make it easier for shareholders to challenge incumbent directors. The regulations fall short of more ambitious corporate-democracy proposals made by stockholders, lawmakers and others over the years. Chief among these were plans to give stockholders a greater say in setting pay scales.