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“A series of accounting irregularities at large companies have deepened public distrust of both accounting and auditing firms.”

Internet tax research, once a novelty, is now the standard, with a number of publishers offering publications that are only available online."We still subscribe to some paper products, but using the Web-based versions is much more efficient," said Cindy Hockenberry, tax information analyst at the Appleton, Wis.-based National Association of Tax Professionals. "The transition in going from paper to online was not as difficult as we anticipated. Books are still useful where you know where a topic is that you researched before, but the search engines on the different platforms make up for that. And it's incredibly helpful to have immediate access to all the cross references that you might not have thought about."

Since 1982, Miami-based CPA and business advisory firm Watson Rice has worked with a neighboring accounting firm to fill its personnel needs in auditing engagements. That may not be so unusual, but what makes the relationship unique is the way the two firms have solidified the partnership - through a handshake.As unbelievable as that seems in today's litigious culture, another firm shares a similar experience.

Mark Everson, who forged a reputation for bolstering enforcement policies during his four-year tenure as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, will need to import that tough posture as the new president and chief executive of the American Red Cross.Everson, 52, was named to helm the disaster relief agency last month. When he officially assumes his new post on May 29, he will be at the helm of an organization that over the past several years has been beset by a series of high-level resignations, messy internal politics and a hail of criticism for its glacial response to Hurricane Katrina.

SEC MAY LET FILERS CHOOSE STANDARDSWASHINGTON, D.C. - On the heels of its financial reporting roundtable last month, the Securities and Exchange Commission said that it may allow U.S. filers to choose which standards they want to use to report their financials.

A crucial phrase, it seems, was inadvertently deleted from a sentence in our Feb. 26-March 18, 2007, cover story on diversity ("The profession changes - but is it enough?") that generated a great deal of controversy.The sentence should have read, "And there probably isn't a woman or minority who has been in public accounting for more than the past ten years who can't recall instances of clients at the very least expressing concern over the non-white males assigned to their job."

Growing up, I occasionally heard my father use the term "windshield reality." Defined, it's when a situation like a divorce or a family death impacts you with such trauma that you feel as if you've been emotionally thrown through a windshield. I was reminded of that feeling when I recently browsed my online checking statement to see that my available balance was $52.28.That was like the airbag deploying. What actually sent me through the windshield happened shortly afterwards, when I read that the new chief executive of Ford Motor Co. was paid more than $28 million for his first four months on the job. This, mind you, was on top of an $18.5 million "golden hello" given to him when he was lured away from Boeing.

The current debate about the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may prove to be an object lesson in how short memories in Washington can be. I hope that isn't the case, and that the tone and content of the discourse is focused where it needs to be - on protecting investors and the markets.The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board are exploring ways to make the law more efficient and cost-effective. In early April, they approved a framework that will build more leeway into the way that parts of the law are implemented. While there are no final decisions, investors need to take heed: Some of the proposals, in implementation, could have the unintended effect of watering down the protections created by SOX.

During six decades as an observer, I have met and known a myriad of accountants - in public practice, as corporate executives, in government positions, as teachers, and in our national and state accounting organizations. To me, some are unforgettable and admirable. These are two of their stories.Dr. Emanuel Saxe

GAO TO IRS: FORGET SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENTThe Government Accountability Office said that the Internal Revenue Service doesn't appear to be in a position to develop its own software for tax preparation anytime soon.