A "statistic" (which is clearly apocryphal) says that 94 percent of all wine is consumed within 24 hours of its purchase.

Each Tuesday the Register reviews an area restaurant, with an emphasis on establishments where a couple can dine for $30 or less. Reader suggestions are welcomed.

Bill Gates: no longer Darth Vader?

TOKYO -- It took two years and thousands of moldy broths for Akira Endo to find something that reduces cholesterol. His breakthrough, drawn from a mold like one that grows on oranges, turned out to be the first in a class of medicines that today bring $25 billion a year to pharmaceutical companies.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Leaders of two unions at American Airlines have objected to stock-based bonuses that executives of the money-losing carrier are due to receive in April.

DETROIT -- Lexus and Chrysler are debuting luxurious sedans at this year's North American International Auto Show. Ford is offering a chiseled new crossover. Honda is hyping a subcompact. As the age of the SUV comes to an end in the United States, the world's automakers are engaged in a race to figure out the next hot trends.

NEW YORK -- The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 11,000 Monday for the first time since before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, lifted by a five-day rally that has sent stocks soaring so far in 2006.

WASHINGTON -- Consumer borrowing fell in November for a second straight month, the first time that has occurred in more than 13 years.