Etc...

Uh-oh, we're being followed

Police in northern Denmark found themselves involved in an unusual case earlier this month involving a vehicle that had been stolen. Only, they were appealed to for help by, of all people, the thieves. It seems the culprits became afraid for their safety after the angry owner emerged from his house, climbed into his other car, and took up the chase.

Since it's true that important deals are agreed to on the golf course, you'd think schools of business would consider offering courses in how to play the game - along with, say, principles of accounting and marketing. Actually, one does. OK, so it's in Southeast Asia, but at least Singapore Management University has recognized how important a tool golf can be in carving out a career in business. Classes for the first 200 students - females as well as males, by the way - begin next month. Eventually, they'll be required for all 2,200 undergraduate degree candidates, administrators say.

AT&T, the third-largest provider of mobile-phone service in the US, consistently had the highest customer complaint rate with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last year, The Wall Street Journal reported. No. 1 Verizon generated the fewest gripes. AT&T Wireless, which is the object of a bidding war, has had trouble upgrading customer- management software and implementing new "portability" rules that let people keep their numbers when switching carriers, the Journal reported. How each of the major players in the industry stacked up, as measured by FCC complaints per 100,000 subscribers between July and September, 2003:

1. Verizon Wireless 1.5
2. Nextel 2.0
3. Cingular Wireless 3.2
4. T-Mobile 3.5
5. Sprint PCS (and affiliates) 4.0
6. AT&T Wireless (and affiliates) 6.4