News In Brief

HEY, WISE UP! Wisdom comes from years of experience, right? Not necessarily, according to a 15-year study by a team of German researchers. The project tested 1,000 people and concluded that wisdom can be found in any age group, even teens. In fact, the scientists say, the foundations of wisdom are laid in early years - amid such challenges as choosing a profession and separating from parents. It also helps, they say, to have had a family that discussed problems openly.

I'M OUTTA HERE The formula for success for big-business executives appears to be: Get in, do your thing, and then get out early - at least in Britain. A survey by the Cranfield School of Management, released earlier this month in London, found only 7 percent of top corporate leaders had been in their jobs for more than a decade. The average stay at blue-chip companies: four years.

Preservationists release list of 11 most-endangered sites

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual list is topped by what the group is generically calling "the corner of Main and Main, nationwide." It says thousands of buildings may be involved, and it blames drugstore chains, in particular, for tearing down landmarks in the center of small towns to make way for new stores. The 11 most-endangered sites of 1999:

1. Corner of Main and Main, nationwide

2. Richard H. Allen Auditorium, Sitka, Alaska

3. Angel Island Immigration Station, San Francisco Bay

4. Country Estates of River Road, Louisville, Ky.

5. Four national historic landmark hospitals, New York State

6. Hulett Ore Unloaders, Cleveland

7. Lancaster County, Pa.

8. Pullman Administration Building and complex, Chicago

9. Traveler's Rest, Lolo, Mont.

10. Arts and warehouse district, San Diego

11. West side of downtown Baltimore

- Associated Press