News In Brief

OLDER THAN THEY LOOK?

(OK, this is the last of our millennial hoopla - we hope.)

In hospitals as far apart as South Korea and Denmark, two little new-year babies were registered as century-old newborns. Due to a Y2K computer glitch, the birthdates of an infant born in Copenhagen and one outside Seoul, South Korea, were recorded as Jan. 1, 1900 - and their ages as 100. After technical revisions, they're getting lots of sleep and milk, but no retirement checks.

CALL HIM ANTISOCIAL

Can man live by the Internet alone? Well, that's the New Year's resolution of twentysomething Mitch Maddox. The former systems analyst stepped into an empty Dallas home on 1/1/00 with nothing but the clothes on his back and a laptop computer. And he doesn't plan to leave for 365 days. After legally changing his name to DotComGuy, the techie will host a site with the same name, complete with a live video stream of his activities. He is to order everything he needs online, from furniture to toilet paper. And he won't go beyond his backyard.

If you're looking for work, here are the hottest skills

What are the most desirable qualities for job seekers in the 2000 workplace? Watson Wyatt, a global consulting firm, offers the following list of in-demand skills:

1. Willingness to share information and ideas.

2. Commitment to teamwork.

3. Responsiveness to change.

4. Ability to work under pressure.

5. Sense of ownership of work and ideas.

6. Willingness to take calculated risks, without fear of consequences.

7. Multicultural experience and/or ability to speak multiple languages.

8. Ability to communicate clearly and honestly with peers, managers, customers.

9. Understanding of business strategy and how you create shareholder value.

10. Commitment to continuous learning, skill development.

- PRNewswire

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society