etc...

BUT COME SOONER IF YOU CAN

Ah, Bermuda - land of pink sand beaches ... pastel-colored houses ... moped rentals ... postponed 500th anniversaries. Wait a minute; what's that? Alas, it's true. The tourist magnet had been planning a gala quincentennial celebration next year, because its first known map bears the notation "1503." But that was until some local historians argued - convincingly - that the Spanish navigator for whom the island is named, Juan de Bermudez, didn't spot it until two years later. They base their conclusion on new translations of Spanish documents of the time that Bermudez couldn't have written since he was illiterate. So the party is off until 2005, giving you extra time to make your reservations.

There are fortunate people, and then there's the woman who cleans a nine-story building in Tajikistan's capital, Dushanbe. As she moved a package to mop one of the floors, the detinator of a time bomb fell out and went off. No injuries or damage, but there could have been: Inside, the parcel was packed with TNT. It's not known who the intended target was. Crime in Tajikistan is rampant, and contract killings are common.

The spiraling Enron saga has made corporate America more popular as a target than as a goal. But Fortune magazine, in its annual list of most-admired companies, asserts some firms deserve respect for their proven ability "to perform at their best when the heat is on." General Electric was No. 1 on the list for a fifth straight year, while FedEx and Citigroup made their first appearances. Fortune's top 10:

1. General Electric

2. Southwest Airlines

3. Wal-Mart Stores

4. Microsoft

5. Berkshire Hathaway

6. Home Depot

7. Johnson & Johnson

8. Federal Express

9. Citigroup

10. Intel