News In Brief

THERE, SEE WHAT I MEAN? Motivational speaker Roger Russell is back on track in his walk across South Africa to raise public awareness of the country's burgeoning crime problem. That's noteworthy because this is his second try. Last week, as he was setting out, five men robbed him of everything except what he was wearing. Said a police official: "We'll look after him this time."

SO YOU'RE NOT AMUSED, HUH? Ah, that Arunas Valinskas; he's a real joker. At least, he thinks so, even if no one else does. First, the Vilnius, Lithuania, TV personality decided it would be a blast to report a phony bomb threat at a wedding in which he was best man. Then, after being fined $3,750, he tried paying with coins - more than a half-ton of them. Still failing to see the humor of it all, the court ordered him to tender the amount at a bank, after counting the coins himself - one at a time.

These jingles might jangle, but they rate as era's best

The Army advertising slogan, "Be all that you can be," is under review, an Army Recruiting Command spokesman said recently. He noted that no decision had been made and it's possible the jingle, introduced in 1981, may be retained in future ad campaigns. According to Advertising Age, the slogan is one of the most successful of the 1900s. The magazine's list of the century's Top 10 ad jingles:

1. "You deserve a break today" (McDonald's) 2. "Be all that you can be" (US Army) 3. "Pepsi-Cola hits the spot" (Pepsi-Cola) 4. "Mmm good!" (Campbell Soup) 5. "See the USA in your Chevrolet" (General Motors) 6. "I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener" (Oscar Mayer) 7. "Double your pleasure, double your fun" (Wrigley's Doublemint gum) 8. "Winston tastes good like a cigarette should" (Winston) 9. "It's the real thing" (Coca-Cola) 10. "A little dab'll do ya" (Brylcreem) - Associated Press

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society