News In Brief

Y0U DON'T KNOW ME, BUT ...

The new film "Pay It Forward" is based on a simple idea: The world would be a better place if each of us did a good deed for three other people. So, who goes first? Well, maybe the anonymous couple who'd just seen the flick and happened to find an envelope accidentally dropped by Buffalo, N.Y., resident Melissa Fortin. In it was partial payment on her monthly car lease. The good Samaritans made up the $269 difference, sent the envelope on its way, and then jotted a note to Ms. Fortin: "We realized you are behind ... and wanted to help. All you have to do is 'Pay It Forward.' " The grateful beneficiary pledged she would.

YES, YOUR NAME RINGS A BELL

Next April 4, in the Dutch town of Noordweg, a special symposium is scheduled to consider the long-term effects of the 1945 Yalta conference, at which Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill decided the fate of postwar Europe. The guest panelists: their grandsons, who have never met one another.

Kids say music and family keep them from trying drugs

"What's Your Anti-Drug?" That question has been answered by more than 25,000 American young people as part of a nationwide campaign encouraging them to avoid illegal substances. The project, managed by the White House Drug Control Policy Office, elicited responses ranging from a single word to expressions in art. The No. 1 answer: music. Some replies are included in public service TV ads, which began running last month. Responses are still accepted at www.whatsyourantidrug.com. The top influences to date, with the number of young people identifying each:

1. Music 4,218

2. Family 3,911

3. Football 3,672

4. Friendships 2,759

5. Dancing 1,994

6. "Me" 1,583

7. Basketball 1,169

8. Computers 1,039

9. Soccer 905

10. Biking 859

- Associated Press

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