News In Brief

IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, O-K? Jean Chrtien and Lucien Bouchard are skilled at their craft - politics. They wouldn't have become prime minister of Canada and premier of Quebec, respectively, if they weren't. They apparently are not, however, so good at history. Especially their own country's. In front of 500 delegates last week at the weighty-sounding international Forum on Federations, both erred when invoking the year of Canada's birth. Chrtien was pretty sure it happened in 1863. No, Bouchard decided when it was his turn to speak hours later, the date was 1868. For the record, Canada came into being July 1, 1867.

NO POINT IN HURRYING "I don't regret the time it took," Jozsef Horvat explained as he finished his latest project - adding, "it is important for me to make something that will last." There's not much danger it won't. The result is a 1-1/2-ton, 14-foot-high grandfather clock carved from stone. Reports from Budapest say the Hungarian master sculptor spent two years at his task. Next up: a full-scale stone railroad locomotive. That, he says, should take about six years.

High-priced city by the bay is hard to beat as place to live Despite its high cost of living and threat of earthquakes, San Francisco still ranks as the most livable US city in Money magazine's latest annual rankings. San Francisco, the editors concluded, more than compensates with its excellent air quality, plentiful restaurants, first-rate museums, and wide range of sports and recreational opportunities. In addition, the magazine's Web site allows visitors to customize the selection process, using their own priorities in housing, weather, and the like. Money's short list of best US cities to live in:

Big cities

San Francisco

Austin, Texas

New York

Small cities

Rochester, Minn.

Columbia, Mo.

Boulder, Colo. - Associated Press

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