April 12, 1995

The Black Ministers Council of New Jersey asked Gov. Christine Todd Whitman yesterday to postpone her third round of tax reductions until it is clear what Federal budget cuts will do to New Jersey, especially programs for the poor. But the Governor, arguing that the tax cuts would make the state more competitive, said she would go ahead as planned.

For Wayne Roth, a defense lawyer in a medical malpractice case, the end of the world arrived last week, 15 minutes into his questioning of prospective jurors. Mr. Roth had the misfortune of being chosen for an experiment to make selection faster, less intrusive and more pleasant for jurors.

TALK shows, spreading like the Blob in the old science fiction movie, have already taken over the landscape of broadcast television, radio and cable. Just when it seems the American appetite for such shows surely must have been satisfied, they have found another frontier, where they are spreading anew: the Internet. Shows that mimic the familiar format -- a host, a celebrity guest, a studio audience -- are now a common feature of life on line. The shows have producers and talent bookers just as "Good Morning America" does, and almost anyone who might grace the set of Regis or Bryant, hawking a miniseries or a political agenda, is likely to appear on line, where questions and answers scroll across the computer screens of the audience as they are typed.

"How many of you watched Newt?" asked Peter Fletcher, presiding at the Ypsilanti Republicans' regular Saturday breakfast at Max's Deli the morning after the House Speaker was on national television to celebrate his Contract With America. There were 16 Republicans drinking coffee around a long table. One person, Bob Kilpatrick, raised his hand. Sheepish glances were exchanged among the others. No one else had caught the speech. They had had other things to do, they said.

The Kemper Corporation, ending a yearlong effort to sell itself, said yesterday that it had agreed to be acquired by the Zurich Insurance Group and a group of American investors for $2 billion. As an independent company, Kemper failed to produce the profit that investors hoped would result from the combination in the 1980's of a large mutual fund business, insurance companies and securities brokers. None of its businesses was stellar in its field, however, and by the 90's, Kemper was in trouble from outsized investments in junk bonds and real estate.