News In Brief

WE'LL TAKE THE SHEARS, TOO

You may recall the headlines in 1997 when scientists in Scotland announced the birth of Dolly, the world's first cloned lamb. But who remembers stories about Dolly being shorn of her fleece? So in Australia, rather than allow the moment to pass when one-year-old Matilda, that nation's first cloned sheep, was shorn for the first time, wool trader GH Mitchell & Son of Adelaide was there to buy "another piece to the history of the industry." The fleece fetched $1,800 - 200 times the going rate - at auction. It will be put on display.

UH-OH, I SLICED IT. FORE!

Speaking of history, when legendary retired golfer Byron Nelson hits the ceremonial first tee shot at this year's Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga., it will be for the 21st - and last - time. Said the honorary starter, twice a champion of the sport's premier classic: "[It's] the most difficult thing I've ever had to do in golf.... I worry about it a month before."

Papa John's earns customer kudos, but not McDonald's

McDonald's says it served more than 8 billion customers last year, but evidently many of them didn't enjoy the experience. According to the American customer satisfaction index, McDonald's finished last - far behind Papa John's - among fast-food/pizza chains. The index, a project of the University of Michigan Business School, is calculated after interviewing more than 50,000 consumers on everything from insurers to gas stations. The fast-food/pizza chain findings, with the points each earned out of a possible 100 for the fourth quarter of last year, and the percent change from the same period in 1999:

1. Papa John's (1.3%) 77

2. "others" (-2.7%) 72

3. Pizza Hut (2.9%) 70 (tie) Wendy's (-1.4%) 70

5. Domino's Pizza (3.0%) 69 (tie) Little Caesars (not available) 69

7. Burger King (1.5%) 67

8. KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) (1.6%) 65

9. Taco Bell (-1.6%) 63

10. McDonald's (-3.3%) 59

- Reuters

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Publishing Society