Creative Accounting, Creative Writing

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of profits, it was the age of bankruptcies...

In mind of events such as WorldCom's record bankruptcy filing and "all the pervasive prevarication" that led up to them, an Ardmore, Pa., firm is asking closet wits to concoct their own tonics for the epidemic of financial misdeeds and investor panic sweeping Wall Street and the high-tech industry. Gregory FCA Communications, an investor-relations and PR consulting firm, is sponsoring a writing contest open to all comers except Gregory employees, public-relations agents, reporters, and securities analysts.

Entrants will rewrite the latest pre-scandal earnings releases from companies of their choice in the style of their favorite authors. Winning entries will mimic chosen authors' styles and will hint at financial trickery that might still be to come.

Contest details are available at http://www.gregoryfca.com/irp_gfca072202.htm.