News In Brief
OOH, CHECK OUT THIS BUCKLE
Wanna look hip in Norway (and, perhaps soon, elsewhere)? Get yourself a seat belt. No, not to wear when riding in a car. Rather, seat belts have become the latest fashion accessory - especially to hold up those baggy pants favored by the young, says Stig Martin Solberg, a spokesman for Braathen Airlines. Why is he an authority on the subject? Because the carrier loses about five belts a day to the fad. "It is easy to spot people on the street with them," he says, adding that stores offer similar items, but the real thing seems to have more status. Each stolen belt costs the airline $30 - but can run much higher if a flight has to be delayed.
WOW, THAT'S PRETTY FAST
Statisticians have gone to the trouble of clocking the bullet -like serves of tennis star Mark Philippousis, who's been hitting in the 120 m.p.h range on radar guns at the Wimbledon tournament. At that speed, one of his aces would take just 72 days to reach the moon.
These homes away from home cost an arm and a leg
Where would you rather work: Quito, Ecuador, or Tokyo? The two cities are, respectively, the least and most expensive cities for foreign workers, according to a study by human resource firm William M. Mercer Cos. The 10 most expensive cities, indexed to a New York-base score of 100:
1. Tokyo 165
2. Osaka, Japan 144
3. Hong Kong 142
4. Beijing 138
5. Moscow 136
6. Shanghai, China 128
7. Seoul, South Korea 111
8. St. Petersburg, Russia 110
9. Guangzhou, China 108
10. London 107
- Associated Press
(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society
