Thanks for the recommendation. I had already implemented
the program using top, but then rewrote it using
ps -efo pid,pcpu,fname as you suggested (and
then internally grepped out the ns-httpd).
It was a bit easier, but more important, it doesn't require
a non-OS application being installed.
Now that the short-term annoyance is out of the way, I can
concentrate some of the other excellent suggestions that
require lengthier investigation.