SILVER LINING: Having spent a week or so watching the State Senate put the fun in dysfunctional—a protester in a clown suit, each party holding its own gavel-in/gavel-out pseudo-sessions, a wandering Republican in search of a Coke counted quickly by Democrats so they could claim a quorum—it was heartening to have Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver visit this editorial board to assure us all was well in Albany except for those rascals in the other house.

Silver, of course, can relax. His Assembly stayed firmly in hand and in session, daily sending a long e-mail list of bills it had passed—in the knowledge they’d mostly go nowhere unless the Senate somehow got its act together. It was a perfect time for the speaker to ride the wave, surfing the state and turning every Legislature question into a tsk-tsk about the Senate.

And to the hapless GOP senator who blundered into the Senate chamber just as the Dems were casting about for a needed 32nd body: Watch your step in Albany.

UPSTAGED:The word in show biz is that timing is everything, but it can also be heartbreaking. Actress Farrah Fawcett lost a long, courageous and self-chronicled fight with cancer just hours before Michael Jackson met the bizarre end to his bizarre life. It’s no surprise who got the publicity. Talk about getting upstaged.

EXTREME POWER:We knew the University at Buffalo was growing in importance, but we had no idea how much until we saw the story about a new solar energy system designed to power student housing.

The headline read, “UB names contractors for solar system.” Wow. Talk about outreach!

DRAMATIC TRUTH:Speaking of upstaging, Albany theatrics and Independence Day, was anyone else reminded recently of the scene in “1776” where John Hancock gets exasperated at Lewis Morris for yet another New York abstention in nation-birthing deliberations? To wit:

John Hancock: Mr. Morris, [pause, then shouts] WHAT IN HELL GOES ON IN NEW YORK?

Lewis Morris: I’m sorry Mr. President, but the simple fact is that our legislature has never sent us explicit instructions on anything!

John Hancock: NEVER? That’s impossible! Lewis Morris: Mr. President, have you ever been present at a meeting of the New York legislature? They speak very fast and very loud, and nobody listens to anybody else, with the result that nothing ever gets done.

Enough said.