News In Brief

NO, BUT MAYBE TOMORROW

The pattern repeated itself more than 8,000 times: another day, another marriage proposal. And another rejection. But it all ended when Beverly Redman tied the knot with her husband, Keith, last Saturday in North Hykeham, England. Over the years - in fact, since she turned 16 - Keith tried love notes, candlelit dinners, and not one, but two engagement rings. So why did Beverly finally agree to take the plunge? Because, she said, "We've got something too special." And Keith's reaction: "It came as a big shock."

IT NEEDED A GOOD HOME

In the northern England town of Todmorden, a break-in was reported at the local aquarium. But nothing significant was taken or damaged. In fact, the intruder's only purpose appears to have been to leave something. A count of the tropical fish in the tank revealed one more than was there before.

Y2K computer woes: It turns out there really were some

By now, everyone has had a good laugh at the dire predictions made last year about "millennium bug" computer problems. And it's no big surprise that "leap year day," Feb. 29 - another occasion billed as a potential pitfall - came off with hardly a hitch. But here's a sampling of Y2K-related glitches reported on or since Jan. 1:

* An electronic stamping device in the Oregon 2000 Project Office showed Jan. 1, 2000, as Dec. 32, 1999.

* Web sites for Vice President Al Gore's campaign and the US Naval Observatory, the nation's timekeeper, showed the year as 19100.

* A New York State video store tried to charge a customer $91,250 for a rental returned 100 years late.

* Monitoring stations for Japan's Meteorological Agency reported double-digit rainfall even though no rain fell.

* Heat failed in apartments for about 900 families in Pyongchon, South Korea.

* France's defense satellite system lost its ability to detect equipment failure but continued to operate.

- Associated Press

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society