News In Brief

HONEY, HELP!

Cecelia Galvin phoned 911 to report two young men were breaking into the garage at her Albuquerque, N.M., home. Indeed, they allegedly made off with a toolbox, a sander, and a chain saw. But the suspects were caught red-handed because of an especially quick police response. So, does that mean that the caller has extra pull with the cops, or something? Well, maybe. She is the wife of Chief Jerry Galvin.

OUR WORK GETS NOTICED

Perhaps you recall an item in this space last week about the confusing billboard along I-485 in Charlotte, N.C., that read "Gore 2000" but featured the smiling face of his Republican presidential rival, Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Promising "repairs," the local advertising agency that devised it claimed a proofreader had failed to catch the discrepancy. Not so, apparently. It seems the whole thing was a publicity stunt for the agency to call attention to itself ... as well as to a job opening for - you guessed it - a proofreader.

Online shoppers' top choice for holidays: amazon.com

Online retailers had a booming - and for some, overwhelming - Christmas season last year, and expectations are even higher this time around. Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch, a researcher based in Horsham, Pa., surveyed 1,000 US households to gauge which Internet destinations will attract the most business this year. Amazon.com was the runaway winner. The top Web sites, with the percentage of respondents who said they planned to make a purchase there:

1. amazon.com 23.6%

2. barnesandnoble.com 8.6%

3. ebay.com 7.6%

4. etoys.com 5.9%

5. toysrus.com 3.4%

- Business Wire

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