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WE BEG TO DIFFER

Money can't buy happiness, right? Wrong. That is, at least according to a team of researchers from Britain's Warwick University. In fact, says Prof. Andrew Oswald, coauthor of a new study on the subject: "We find a very strong link between [receiving a cash windfall] and higher contentment.... And the more you get, the better you feel." Over the past 10 years, Oswald and his colleague, Jonathan Gardner, tracked 9,000 families and concluded that even a small inheritance - say, $1,000 - was enough to induce "better mental health."

There will be a delay in your scheduled operations, six elderly men who are patients at Britain's Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Hospital were notified. Reason: They're all pregnant. Or so says a letter each received from the facility advising of the postponement. Later, hospital administrators readily admitted to having made a "human error," blaming "the girl operating the system" for choosing the wrong option.

As almost anyone who has bought a car will tell you, its color can be the make-or-break factor. In 2001, the high-tech appeal of silver made that the No. 1 shade for drivers in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In the US, post-Sept. 11 patriotism added to the popularity of reds, whites, and blues. That's according to an annual tally by Troy, Mich.-based DuPont Automotive, which markets finishes to the industry. Dupont's 10 most popular car colors in the US (and Europe in parentheses):

1. Silver (Silver/gray)

2. White (Blue, metallic)

3. Black (Black)

4. Medium/dark blue (Green, metallic)

5. Medium/dark green (Blue, solid)

6. Medium red (White)

7. Light brown (Red, metallic)

8. Gold (Red, solid)

9. Bright red (Green, solid)

10. Medium gray (Other shades)