European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 10, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes. Tuesday february 10.1987 pan am hikes Security is Chora by tiny Bikol an  Nan Waits Wollt his Luggage i searched by pan american world airways guard Wolfgang Oressel Al Frankfurt International air port. A new Security measure by the airline requires passengers to go through Security guards before reaching the Check in counter. The Luggage of those not carrying valid German or american passports i routinely subject to Ward. News briefs cola from Page 1 thai in s not even Worth calculating inc trigger level because it s highly unlikely that it will Ever Nappin Curtis said. Military members in England. Italy the Netherlands and Belgium have been receiving cola since before december 1985. By March 1986, All  Germany were receiving cola. Military members in Spain also receive Cost of living allowances but those in Greece and Turkey do not. Although exact comparisons of military and civilian allowances arc difficult Curtis said the military allow Ance is generally higher because civilians moving Over seas became eligible to use ices cup Cusic military facilities which causes their living costs to drop by As much As 20 percent. Thai s also Why he Dollar must fall further for civil ians to receive a Cost of living allowance compared  who see no such advantage when moving overseas because they Are eligible to use Mili tary facilities both stateside and abroad. The state department calculates Post allowance using a Bureau of labor statistics quarterly Survey of prices in the Washington area. Washington was designated the comparison City under the 1946 Law that established Post allowance for Federal civilians Over seas Curtis said. The Bureau checks prices on goods and services such As supermarket items furniture pharmaceutical clothing medical services Auto repair and transportation. Each time a Survey is done the stale department adjusts the Cost of living level for Washington if necessary. The state department requires 150 major overseas posts to do their own annual surveys. Based upon the results the Cost of living for Hose locations is calculated. Washington is assigned a Cost of living Index rating of 100, and the ratings for overseas locations arc measured against that. If the Cost of living in Frankfurt is 8 percent less than in Washington. Frankfurt is Given a rating of 92.if the Cost of living is 10 percent higher than in Washington the rating is 110. The rating must be Al least 103 for Post allowance to kick  percentage by which living costs Al a major Post exceeds costs in Washington is applied Only to spen Dable income to determine the Post allowance. Spendable income is that part of a salary remain ing after . Lues life insurance housing costs Sav Ings and charitable contributions Are deducted. The state department gels average spendable income Fig ures from a Chart listing a Broad Range of salary Levels and family sizes. The Chart is compiled using statistic provided by the Bureau. Based on fluctuations in Exchange Rales and the pricing information provided by he surveys the state department adjusts the Cost of living Index ratings for Alt major posts during the first tuesday of each two week pay period throughout the year to take effect inthe following pay period. For example adjustments o the Index ratings made on tuesday Jan. 20, would take effect sunday feb. The Start of the next pay period. For the allowance to begin the Dollar Exchange rate must average at or below the trigger level for the three working Days before the tuesday on which adjust ments Are made Curtis said. For example let s use Frankfurt Germany where the current trigger level is 1.66 Marks he said. If the Exchange rate was 1.66 on thursday Jan. 15, 1.68 on Friday Jan. 16, and 1.64 on monday Jan. 19, that would be averaged out to 1.66 when we did our adjust ments on tuesday Jan. 20. That s Good enough to give Frankfurt an Inden rating of 103, which Means that the minimum level of Post allowance 5 percent of spendable income would kick in effective for the pay period beginning feb. T. And it would Only kick in for that two week pay period if the Dollar had averaged above 1.66 for the three working Days before the next adjustment on tuesday feb. 3. The allowance would have been slopped effective with the Start of the feb. 15 pay period. If the Dollar stayed below 1.66, Post allowance would continue for hat pay period. On tuesday feb. 17, the pro Cess would Start All Over again. In addition to the mandatory annual surveys required by the stale deportment from inc major Over seas posts Curtis said the civilian personnel office at any location can voluntarily submit its own Cost of living Survey to the state department. If enough people complain about the Cost of living to their civilian personnel office that could be enough to get the co to do a Survey Curtis said. Index ratings also can depend upon the availability of Exchange and commissary facilities Curtis said. Be cause prices in military facilities Are generally Low compared to local Economy prices the Cost of living for civilians who have Access to such facilities is lower than for those who Don t. Index ratings Are higher for locations that Don t have such support so Post allowance kicks in sooner for personnel at those locations. That s Why civilians in places such As do Essendorf and Hamburg Germany Are getting Post allowance already when civilians in Frankfurt arc not Curtis said. Car bomb in Beirut kills 15, wounds 80, starts Blaze Beirut Lebanon a police said a car bomb killed at least 15 people monday wounded 80 others and sparked an inferno Ai a Gas station in a Shipic moslem neighbourhood or Beirut. Four other people were killed and i 2 were wounded in mortar and rocket duels Between palestinian guerrillas and shiite militiamen for control or refugee Cam Snear the blast scene. Police said the bomb went off at 2 45 . In a White Mercedes Benz parked near a filling station in the Row Ciss District on the Southern outskirts of the capital. The explosion set inc gasoline station afire and dam aged about 10 parked can. Police said the car was rigged with about 163 pounds of Exposi pcs attached to a timing device. There was no immediate claim of responsibility forthe bombing. German police seize convicts who fled with Ransom Money Duisburg Germany a German police monday captured three convicts hours after hey took a prison employee hostage and drove away with700,000 Marks about $376,340 in Ransom Money authorities said. A police spokesman said two of the convicts were caught Early in the afternoon by police in Herzogenrath about 45 Miles from the Duisburg Zambom Pris on near the dutch Bonder. The third convict was arrested on dutch territory two hours later the official said. The hostage a 25-year-old prison guard was found bound to a seat in the abandoned getaway car in Herzogenrath the spokesman said. The guard was uninjured. Afghan rebels Down plane at least 43 aboard killing Islamabad Pakistan Jap a soviet mad plane crashed monday after it was hit by a rocket near a military Airstrip in Eastern Afghanistan radio reports and sources said. At least 43 people were reported tilled afghan guerrillas fighting the soviet backed govern ment said their forces hit the plane with a missile As it was approaching an Airstrip in the City of Khost site of the main government military base in Afghanistan Eastern Paglia province. Radio Kabul and the official soviet news Agency toss identified the plane As an Antonov an-26, a two engine propeller passenger plane used both for military transports and As a civilian Airliner. Deadline from Page 1 editor s note the stare and stripes wants to help readers stretch their paychecks in these Days of the weakened Dollar. If you have Money saving ideas sen them to consumer editor Stan and stripes Apo 09211. Please include your name address and phone number. Well share the Best ideas in future editions. Office of a Western news Agency with a photograph of Steen at Midas Lemoon 8 i hours before the deadline. Israel has said it will not yield to terrorist threats. In Jerusalem on monday foreign minister Shimon Peres said Israel has received no request from the United states to free prisoners. Nobody has approached Israel on this Issue and Israel won t Lake any initiative on its own he said. Peres said sunday however that Israel was willing to discuss trading Arab prisoners for an israeli airman downed in Lebanon. In Washington both White House spokesman Mir Liti Fitzwater and stale department spokesman Charles e. Redman said there would be no concessions to terrorists they said Washington has not approached Israel on the kidnappers demand. Slenn s letter presumed that Israel must act if Washington dictates. Ii contained misspellings and awkward grammar and turns of phrase that could mean it was drafted by Slenn s captors. The word for holy Warrior came variously As Mujahid and Mujahid. Steen ended the letter with words of affection to his wife Virginia Rose 35, of Jackson miss listen love i Doo l Wani to see you cry any More. Tell them to release the 400.1 love you  earlier monday two bodies were found on a West Beirut Street. Police said the victims were palestinians shot As part of the War Between Yasser Arafat s pales Tine liberation organization guerrillas and the shiite moslem amal militia