'Guys and Dolls' ready to roll the dice at Corn Stock

At the risk of being branded a heretic or something and dragged away, Chip Joyce is changing things around in “Guys and Dolls,” the next show at Corn Stock Theatre.

Now wait: he isn’t changing anything in the script or any of the songs. That’s something he says you just don’t do with a Broadway classic like “Guys and Dolls.”

“Some think of this as the perfect, quintessential American musical and to mess with it would be heresy or something. That’s why it is one of the only shows that never gets changed when it has a Broadway revival. That presented somewhat of a dilemma,” said Joyce, directing for the second time in three years under the Corn Stock tent in Upper Bradley Park.

Still, because it is a well-known musical that has been done many times throughout the region in high schools, “I wanted to find a fresh take on the show. I wanted to inject new life and energy into it and make it something people want to see like they are seeing it for the first time. We stay true to the script, without question. But maybe we look at some of things in the script a little different,” he said.

Like how some lines and even characters are interpreted. “I like going with the idea that it’s the women who are the smart ones and the men … well, not so much. The way the lines are delivered, the way the characters are portrayed, the reactions to some of the lines all help to give it a new look and feel. Take Adelaide, for example. She is not written as a bimbo but that’s how she usually is played. Not in our show,” he said.

The last time “Guys and Dolls” was done as an adult show in Peoria was more than a decade ago at Peoria Players Theatre. Corn Stock last produced it in 1993 at the tent.

But it became a staple in high schools, colleges and youth productions until just a few years ago, about the time of the latest Broadway revival in 2009.

But many of the songs from one of the best-known Broadway are still easily brought to mind. “Luck Be a Lady,” “Adelaide’s Lament,” “A Bushel and a Peck,” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat.”

“These are songs people know even if they’ve never seen the show,” Joyce said.

“Guys and Dolls” features the music and lyrics of Frank Loesser and the book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrow. The musical is based on the short stories of fiction writer Damon Runyon and tells the stories of gangsters, gamblers and their gals from the New York underworld of the 1930s. Or at least how fiction writer Damon Runyon perceived them, Joyce said. “Damon Runyon was a Midwestern writer who moved to the big city. He developed a very romanticized idea of the city, portraying it almost like the old wild west,” he said.

The mixture of the words and the slang, which Joyce said audiences will recognize as words we use still today, make the show appealing, he added.

It was first produced on Broadway in 1950 and swept the Tony Awards. The 1955 film starred Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, Vivian Blaine and even Marlon Brando in a singing role as Sky Masterson.

The Corn Stock cast is mostly local community theatre veterans, meaning a lot of local star power.

Jarod Hazzard portrays Sky Masterson, Mike Reams is Nathan Detroit and Alex Monsoori, a professional opera singer making his Corn Stock debut, is Nicely-Nicely Johnson.

Kim Behrens makes her Corn Stock debut as Miss Adelaide, Tonya Davis is Sarah Brown and Trish Ballard is General Matilda Cartwright.

Others in the cast include veterans Bob Parkhurst, Aaron Elwell, Nathan Irwin, Matt Stubbs, Kyle King, Eric Gore, Susan Knobloch, Laura Miller-Monsoori and Jennifer Morris.

Joyce said he couldn’t have asked for a better turnout at auditions. “This is a show people want to do. Mike Reams, this is his fifth time in this show. On the other hand, Nathan Irwin has done countless shows through the years but this is his first opportunity to be in ‘Guys and Dolls.’ So our cast is stacked,’ he said.

Laura Weaver Hughes is the music director and the choreographer is Heather Klaus. There were with Joyce the last time he directed at the tent – in the 2012 production of “Hair.”

“The three of us are really going in the opposite direction this time, but that really appealed to us.
It’s a fun show. We think audiences will really like it,” he said.

Tickets are on sale at the Corn stock box office. They are $18 for adults and $12 for students. They can be ordered online at www.cornstocktheatre.com or reserved by calling 676-2196. 

Happy 4th of July!

On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked with red, white and blue flags, fireworks, parades and backyard barbecues across the country.

2.5 million: In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation. 
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970
318.4 million: The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.

Source: U.S. and World Population Clock <http://www.census.gov/popclock/>

The Signers

56: Number of signers to the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston comprised the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. Jefferson, regarded as the strongest and most eloquent writer, wrote most of the document.

It's also worth noting that:

• John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, was the first signer. This merchant by trade did so in an entirely blank space making it the largest and most famous signature — hence the term John Hancock, which is still used today as a synonym for signature. There are 7.4 million businesses with paid employees in the U.S., of those establishments 1 million are in the retail trade industry.
• Benjamin Franklin (age 70), who represented Pennsylvania, was the oldest of the signers. Franklin County, Pa., had an estimated population of 152,085 as of July 1, 2013. Edward Rutledge (age 26), of South Carolina, was the youngest.
• Two future presidents signed, John Adams (second president) and Thomas Jefferson (third president). Both died on the 50th anniversary of signing the Declaration (July 4, 1826). There are 12 counties nationwide named Adams and 26 named Jefferson.
• Robert Livingston, who represented New York, was on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence but was recalled by his state before he could sign it. Livingston County, N.Y., was home to an estimated 64,705 people as of July 1, 2013.
• Representing Georgia in 1776 were Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton. Gwinnett County, Ga. (859,304), Hall County, Ga. (187,745) and Walton County, Ga. (85,754) were named for these signers.
• Charles Carroll, who represented Maryland, was the last surviving signer of the Declaration. He died in 1832 at the age of 95. Carroll County, Md., named for him, had an estimated population of 167,564 as of July 1, 2013.
• Roger Sherman, who worked as a land surveyor and lawyer, represented Connecticut. Nationally in 2012, there were an estimated 29,976 surveyors, cartographers and photogrammetrists employed full time, year-round, and 841,077 lawyers employed full time, year-round nationwide.
• Nelson County, Va. (14,789) and Wythe County, Va. (29,344) were named for two of the six signers who represented the state of Virginia — Thomas Nelson Jr. and George Wythe.

Sources: TIGER Shapefiles, the Census Bureau's geographic database (Place/MCD/County combined "used within name" count), unpublished, 2012 County Business Patterns and Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2013/PEPANNRES/0100000US.05000.003>

And the Rocket's Red Glare

$203.6 million: The value of fireworks imported from China in 2013, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($213.8 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $10.2 million in 2013, with Israel purchasing more than any other country ($2.7 million).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Code 360410 <https://usatrade.census.gov/>

U.S. Flags

$4.0 million: In 2013, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($3.9 million) was for U.S. flags made in China. 
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Code 6307909825 <https://usatrade.census.gov/>

$781,222: Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2013. The Dominican Republic was the leading customer, purchasing$160,000 worth.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics, Code 6307909825 <https://usatrade.census.gov/>

This Land Is Your Land

Fifty-nine places contain the word "liberty" in the name. Pennsylvania, with 11, has more of these places than any other state. Of the 59 places, four are counties: Liberty County, Ga. (64,135), Liberty County, Fla. (8,349),Liberty County, Mont. (2,369) and Liberty County, Texas (76,907).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, TIGER Shapefiles, the Census Bureau's geographic database
(Place/MCD/County combined "used within name" count), unpublished and Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2013/PEPANNRES/0100000US.05000.003>

One place has "patriot" in its name: Patriot, Ind., has an estimated population of 205.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013<http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2013/PEPANNRES/1620000US1858392>

The most common patriotic-sounding word used within place names is "union" with 136. Pennsylvania, with 33, has more of these places than any other state. Other such words most commonly used in place names are Washington (127), Franklin (118) and Lincoln (95).
Sources: TIGER Shapefiles, the Census Bureau's geographic database (Place/MCD/County combined "used within name" count), unpublished and Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013

The British are Coming!

$100 billion: Dollar value of trade in 2013 between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our seventh-leading trading partner today. 
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Statistics <http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top1312yr.html>

Fourth of July Cookouts

62.9 million: Total estimated number of hogs and pigs as of March 1, 2014. Chances are that the pork hot dogs and sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to an estimated 19.8 million hogs and pigs. North Carolina (estimated at 8.0 million) and Minnesota (estimated at 7.8 million) were also homes to large numbers of pigs.
Source: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service
<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/HogsPigs/HogsPigs-03-28-2014.pdf>

220,521: The number of paid employees (for the pay period including March 12) who worked in a poultry-processing establishment in the U.S. in 2012. There were 517 such establishments — California (45) had the most. Georgia has the most establishments with greater than 1,000 employees (13), followed by Arkansas (11) and North Carolina (8). 
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2012 County Business Pattern, NAICS 311615
<http://www.census.gov/econ/cbp/>

6.1 billion pounds: Total estimated production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2013. There is a good chance that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for nearly one-sixth of the nation's total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (estimated at 5.1 billion pounds) or Kansas (estimated at 3.7 billion pounds).
Source: USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
<http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/MeatAnimPr/MeatAnimPr-04-29-2014.pdf>

Measuring America

As we celebrate this Independence Day, we reflect on how America's Founders enshrined the importance of statistics in our Constitution as a vital tool for measuring our people, places and economy. Since 1790, the U.S. Census has been much more than a simple head count; it has charted the growth and composition of our nation. The questions have evolved over time to address our changing needs. Today, the 10-year census, the economic census and the American Community Survey give Congress and community leaders the information they need to make informed decisions that shape our democracy. These statistics are how we know how our country is doing.

Visit <http://www.census.gov/how> to view and to learn more about "How Do We Know?" Follow @uscensusbureau on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest (#HowDoWeKnow) for updates.

The Ice Cream Top 10 released: What's your favorite

With National Ice Cream Month in full swing, Baskin-Robbins, the world's largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, is revealing which ice cream flavors make people the happiest.

Baskin-Robbins recently partnered with Juliet A. Boghossian, a behavioral food expert and founder of Food-ology®, an original methodology that links food-related habits to personality traits and behavioral tendencies, on a survey to uncover some interesting insights into how ice cream flavors can enhance or initiate positive outlooks for ice cream fans.

"It's surprising to most people when they learn that specific ice cream flavors can increase one's happiness more than others," said Boghossian. "For example, the ice cream flavors enjoyed as a child can actually trigger happy memories, release tension and remove distractions in the moment. Ice cream lovers can also consume a dose of happy by choosing a flavor with mood enhancing ingredients like chocolate, coffee, almonds or mint."

According to the survey, the thought of ice cream puts 72 percent of people in a happy mood even if they are preoccupied, stressed or in a serious mood, while more than 60 percent of people are happiest, motivated and inspired when enjoying ice cream with family and friends. In addition, 63 percent of people believe an ice cream break is downtime to be silly, talk and enjoy each other's company, free of distractions.

In addition, based on the survey, the top 10 ice cream flavors that make people the happiest in rank order are:

1. Chocolate
2. Jamoca® Coffee
3. Very Berry Strawberry
4. Rocky Road
5. Vanilla
6. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough   
7. Mint Chocolate Chip  
8. Chocolate Chip
9. Pralines 'n Cream
10. Rainbow Sherbet

"At Baskin-Robbins, we know that National Ice Cream Month is all about enjoying ice cream and special moments with family and friends, which is why this year, we wanted to share with our guests the ice cream flavors that make people the happiest," said Carol Austin, vice president of marketing for Baskin-Robbins. "No matter which ice cream flavor you enjoy most, we look forward to sharing Baskin-Robbins' 'more flavors and more fun' with our guests during this fun and special time of the year."

As part of its celebration of National Ice Cream Month, Baskin-Robbins is also offering guests a free freshly-baked waffle cone upgrade with the purchase of a double scoop of Baskin-Robbins ice cream. The offer is available at participating Baskin-Robbins shops nationwide throughout the summer months.

For more information about Baskin-Robbins' wide variety of ice cream flavors and frozen desserts, visit www.BaskinRobbins.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BaskinRobbins), Twitter (www.twitter.com/BaskinRobbins) or Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/baskinrobbins31).

Survey Methodology
Findings based on empirical and quantitative research. Empirical research performed by behavioral food expert and Founder of Food-ology, You are HOW you Eat®, Juliet A. Boghossian, between 2002 and 2013, 200+ adult subjects, (50/50 male/female) residing in the United States. Quantitative data based on an online survey among 1,000 U.S. adults 18+ (50/50 male/female), performed in 2010, using the field services of Authentic Response. The margin of error at the 95% level of confidence is ±3.1%.  The top 10 'happy' ice cream rankings were derived based on a scoring system which combined top flavor preferences among 1,000 U.S. adults 18+ (50/50 male/female), and ice creams with the most mood enhancing ingredients.  

Deloitte CFO survey shows optimism waning

On the whole, optimism among North American chief financial officers (CFOs) regarding their own companies' prospects remains durable, according to Deloitte's second quarter (Q2) CFO Signals™ survey. However, weaker perceptions of major economies, substantial pessimism among manufacturing CFOs and a decline in key expectations among U.S. CFOs suggest negative undercurrents.

Specifically, the survey, which tracks the thinking and actions of more than 100 CFOs from very large North American companies, recorded only a small decrease in the proportion of CFOs expressing improved optimism relative to the prior quarter. For the second quarter, 44.3 percent of CFOs expressed improving optimism while 18.6 percent expressed declining optimism – for a net optimism of plus 25.7 percentage points, down about one point since the first quarter. Since the fourth quarter of 2013, optimism has moved by less than eight percentage points – the lowest period of volatility since the survey began in 2010.

CFOs' optimism regarding key global economies, however, dropped significantly. Sentiment regarding the performance of the Chinese economy one year from now fell for the third consecutive quarter, though it remains positive overall. Confidence in Europe's trajectory also fell, but the long-term trend of growing confidence about the continent remains. In North America, CFOs were slightly less confident about the economy today and in one year's time, though optimism remains relatively strong and at similar levels to recent quarters.

Overall, CFOs' expectations for key performance metrics like earnings and sales rose, fueled by Canadian CFOs' strong growth forecasts. Year-over-year expectations for earnings growth rose from a survey low of 7.9* percent in the first quarter to 8.9* percent, while sales jumped from 4.6* percent to 6.1* percent.

U.S. CFOs signaled declining expectations for two key metrics. Earnings growth expectations fell from 9.3* percent last quarter to 8.1* percent, and are down year-on-year from 10.3* percent. Capital spending expectations also fell for the fifth consecutive quarter to 5.1* percent. U.S. CFOs' sales expectations did rise from 4.9* percent last quarter to 5.4* percent, but likewise remain down year-on-year.

"Net optimism is holding steady, but lower earnings and capital spending growth expectations suggest U.S. CFOs are factoring in bumps that were not on their radar screens three months ago," said Sanford Cockrell III, national managing partner, Deloitte LLP and leader of the Deloitte CFO Program. "Nevertheless, there does seem to be some stabilization around CFOs' sentiment and expectations."

CFOs still indicate a bias toward pursuing opportunity over limiting risk, but they also say that government policy and regulation remain substantial barriers to growth. Talent costs were also cited as a notable impediment by 36 percent of CFOs, up slightly from last quarter and around twice the level cited one year ago. Furthermore, the obstacle of talent availability declined to 26 percent this quarter from 39 percent last quarter, though it remained higher than one year ago.

Talent costs were one of several issues noted by manufacturing CFOs, who expressed lower optimism and cited lower expectations for the year ahead than CFOs in other sectors. Thirty-nine percent expressed declining optimism, up from 18 percent last quarter, more than double the level for CFOs overall. A rise in pessimism regarding internal factors was a key driver of this decreasing optimism. Earnings expectations fell from 12.9* percent to 7.7* percent year-on-year and were down for the second consecutive quarter. Capital spending also dropped from 12.5* percent last quarter to 9.5* percent, while sales remained broadly flat as they have done for several quarters.

"CFOs' sentiment and expectations over the last year have been less volatile. This is encouraging, but we have yet to see an acceleration in key survey metrics," noted Greg Dickinson, director, Deloitte LLP, who leads the North American CFO Signals survey. "Weaker sentiment this quarter among U.S. and manufacturing CFOs suggests we may be waiting a while longer to see it."

With the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) effective as of July 1, 2014, CFOs also confirmed that they still have work to do on preparation and implementation for the Act. Only eight percent of CFOs reported that they have processes in place to make the necessary withholdings as of July 1, and only nine percent that their companies have figured out how FATCA affects their non-U.S. employee plans. Overall, 14 percent have completed the classification effort, while 23 percent report that the process is underway.

"FATCA is a prime example of the complex tax environment in which today's CFOs operate, where U.S. tax law impacts an organization's global financial operations," said Carl Allegretti, chairman and chief executive officer of Deloitte Tax LLP. "CFOs and their tax departments should consider working together to develop an actionable plan to address FATCA and mitigate the risks of non-compliance."

Additional findings from the Deloitte Q2 CFO Signals survey include:

• Further cost cutting the key ask from CEOs: More than half of CFOs (58 percent) cite cost control as one of their CEOs' top-three priorities for them to tackle, though managing performance and growing revenue are not far behind.

• Companies' social media efforts often focus on risk management first: CFOs report substantial effort and success in establishing formal policies around employee use of social media and in educating staff around the risks and benefits. Almost 70 percent say they have utilized social media as a brand-building channel or plan to do so, but many of those who already have say results have been poor.

• CFOs do use social media to network: About 46 percent of CFOs use social media (other than email) to network with peers, though only 5 percent do it on a regular basis. Just under 45 percent of CFOs use it to identify and recruit talent, though less (only 25 percent) use social media to communicate with employees.  

To download a copy of the survey, please visit: http://www.deloitte.com/us/cfosignals2014Q2.  

*All numbers with an asterisk are averages that have been adjusted to eliminate the effects of stark outliers.

About The Deloitte CFO Survey 

The Deloitte CFO Signals™ survey for the second quarter of 2014 was conducted between May 9, 2014 and May 23, 2014. Eighty-one percent of the 113 CFO respondents were from organizations with more than $1 billion in annual revenues, and 71 percent were from publicly-traded organizations.

Each quarter, CFO Signals tracks the thinking and actions of CFOs representing many of North America's largest and most influential organizations. This report summarizes CFOs' opinions in four areas: business environment, company priorities and expectations, finance priorities, and CFOs' personal priorities.

For more information about Deloitte's CFO Signals, or to inquire about participating in the survey, please contact NACFOSurvey@deloitte.com.