July 17, 2000

Marion Jones (long jump) and Regina Jacobs (1,500 meter run) qualify for US Olympic team at trials in Sacramento; photo (M)

How families choose between minivans and sport utility vehicles has been one of most engrossing mysteries facing automakers in recent years; the two groups look similar when measured by median income, age, occupation, family size and where they live, but they are very different psychologically; sport utility buyers tend to me more restless, more sybaritic, less social and more self-oriented; minivan buyers tend to be more self-confident and more involved with family, friends and communities; photos; charts (M)

Jon Pareles reviews Dr Dre and other rappers performing in his Up in Smoke tour at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, NJ; photos (M)

Electric utilities are varying price of power based on supply and demand to make sure there is enough to go around as summer progresses and creates potential for shortages; approach is inducing companies and individual customers to change how they use power and think harder about what electricity is worth to them at different times; Wisconsin Electric Power used approach during recent unseasonable hot spell; photo; diagrams (M)

Advertising agencies have been put on their mettle by offbeat television programs that have been broadcast over the last two summers, like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Survivor; they must determine which shows will succeed and get on board at the lowest possible price before a show becomes tremendously popular; the big danger they confront is failing to help their clients keep pace with rapidly changing whirl of consumer habits (M)