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THERE'S A FIRE? CALL AN ARTIST

Feng shui, the ancient Chinese art of arranging objects harmoniously, is popular in home decorating and design. But in urban planning? Apparently so – at least in Sausalito, Calif. Voters there recently rejected a new $7.8 million police/fire complex after critics argued that the project would violate the upscale community's feng shui. Naturally, the cops and firefighters understand perfectly, right? Well, no. "We're the only trailer park in Sausalito," groused police Capt. Jim Hyatt, whose force has worked out of one since a 1995 flood.

The letter that Ravinda Nath Halder opened the other day in Calcutta, India, invited him to a interview for a job at the state labor exchange. So you'd probably think he was pretty happy about it. Wrong. He abandoned hope 15 years ago. The cutoff age for employment in the civil service is 37. Halder submitted his application in 1968 – when he was 18. Said the labor minister, more than 5.5 million people are seeking state jobs, and it often takes "a long time" for an application to reach the top of the pile.

It has been said that today's film stars lack the glamor of their predecessors, and a new list of the world's 300 most beautiful women – compiled by a panel of 50 judges for Britain's Sunday Express newspaper – appears to agree. Of the top 20, all but the late Diana, Princess of Wales (No. 14), and model Kate Moss (No. 16) are – or were – actresses. Yet, among the top 10, all but Catherine Zeta Jones have been dazzling moviegoers for generations. The paper's 10 most beautiful:

1. Elizabeth Taylor

2. Audrey Hepburn (deceased)

3. Grace Kelly (deceased)

4. Ava Gardner (deceased)

5. Sophia Loren

6. Marilyn Monroe (deceased)

7. Brigitte Bardot

8. Catherine Zeta Jones

9. Lauren Bacall

10. Vivien Leigh (deceased)

– Agence France Presse