European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday septembers. 19b8 the stars and stripes Page 7 almanac pans Penny urges new bit Leviston Maine a the banners Alma nac expect id we a Little less Snow and a lot less drought next year. But what lie 171-year-old digest of americana really wants to ice less of h pennies. The Penny. Inspiration far homely expressions that have Wen a Staple of almanacs since Benjamin i Ank Lin set no shop a Penny saved is a Fenny earned is one has outlived its usefulness conclude the 1989 edition of the Farmer s almanac. Only tradition explains our stubborn attachment to the Penny. But sometimes traditions get ridiculous the almanac says living Down its reputation As a defender of Long held values. Instead editor Ray Gelger has proposed a new Coin Worth \1vt cents or one "1 cant i Hank of anything you can buy with � Penny. The Penny Candy is Alia Nickel,11 said gel err who with varying degrees of Success has led the publication s previous campaigns to restore Day names to postmarks eliminate the nine digit zip code add print currency in color other than Green. Also in the newly released edition is a prediction far another cold and mean Winter Bat not As rough As the task one with a Little less Snow in the Midwest and the Rockies. The summer of 1989 should be More pleasant with drier than average weather but no repeal of this year s drought according 10 Golger. We did t predict the drought hut neither did anybody else,11 he said. But what really gets Geiger heated up b the persistence of the Penny whose purchasing Power has diminished to the Point where its Only uses Are making change and col Leen no sales taxes according to the almanac. The almanac s plan for the bit a name derived from two bits the colloquial expression for a Quarter takes into account the change in Inone Tii values. Liis per cites the Dollar As brine cat into right apis pieces half a Dollar is four bits 75 cents is six bits,1 the almanac said. It Points out that while us. Money is based on the Decimal system Stock markets routinely list prices in increments of oat eighth of a Dollar. The is. Mint churns out billions of pennies each i can t think of " anything you can buy with a editor Ray Geiger Farmers almanac year and the almanac suggests that As Many As 200 billion of the coins May be Squirrel led away in vaults baby Banks cookie jars and shoe Boxe. The almanac says the introduction of inc bit would Bridge the Gap Between the dims and the Quarter for greater flexibility in Coin combinations that would produce 21 a cents 27 it cents and so Forth All the Way up to 97 i cents. To promote the idea the almanac suggests a old toned Coin that would be about As thick As a dime Midway in size Between the Nickel and the Quarter. The Treasury department declined to embrace the recommendation saying there has been no grounds Welt of support for a change. Gelger1 almanac which is sold to Banks. Insurance companies and other businesses for distribution to customers As a promotion claims a circulation of More than 5 million. Its 48 pages Are a compendium of Calendar data household hints one line jokes. Inspiration Mes sages recipes and of course weather predictions de Rived through a scent formula by the almanac s fore Caster Caleb weather tace. A Cager who turns 78 this month is marking his ssh year As almanac editor tenure he says lies the record established by the original editor of the old Farmers almanac a new Hampshire based Publica Tion founded in 1792. Investors warned student Driver acquitted in death against buying Gold by Telephone Washington up1 slate securities regulators warned tuesday of Telephone con men who have fleeced hundreds of millions of dollars from investors with phony dirt pile Gold mines. The North american securities administrators association estimates that Lens of thousands of investors lose 1250 million a year to such swindles. It s the fastest growing investor fraud threat of 1988." said James Meyer president of nasal and director often Nessee s division of securities. Nasal joined with the Council of better business bureaus in asking the Federal government for cooperation and resources to fight the fast growing fraud which grown at Casl five fold in inc past year to 52 known cases under investigation. In seems Clear that the Success of the new Breed of Gold swindle is attributable in Large part to the decline in investor Confidence since inc Stock Market crash of october 1987," Meyer told a news conference. He said a con Man operating a fraudulent boiler room persuades investors by Telephone to put up Money usually about s 5,000 for a 100-ton uni of aggregate Ore which is actually unprocessed dirt. The con Man guarantees the Din contains at least 20 ounces of Gold and backs the claim with official looking Mineral tests and Slick brochures. He promises to deliver the Gold at a Cost of about $250 per ounce Well below the current world Price of about s430. The problem is that he Gold does t exist beyond microscopic economically unrecoverable Levels Meyer said. Our less show that some of these sup posed mine Sites contain less Gold than does sea after receiving investors Money the con Man says mining problems prevent Gold recovery or he simply disappears taking his scam to another Community or state. We need Active support from the Justice depart ment the Treasury department the securities and Exchange commission and other Federal age Nejes said Thomas Buca superintendent of new Mexico s regulation and licensing department. A mull state nasal project to thwart such schemes called project Gold Brick has revealed How Large inc problem is said Baca. Who asked Congress to provide si.2 million to nasal to fight the the fraud. James mall Hon by president of the Counci i of boiler business bureaus emphasized that such criminals prey on All kinds of Consumers but often victimize elderly citizens and people who have been suckered before. His advice on How not to be a victim Don t Ever do business with somebody you Don t Elyria Ohio a a judge tuesday acquitted a teen Ager who was in a fatal car Accident during a driving course and criticized her instruction which included the showing of a Richard Pryor movie. Lorain county juvenile court judge Henry Webber found Michelle Moore 18, of Elyria innocent of vehicular homicide. He said she was poorly trained and did not receive proper instruction at the Lime of the Accident. Moore was 17 at the time of the Jan. 2 Accident in which Donald Mussy 75, of Elyria. Was killed. She was taking a class from the pro driving school of Elyria. She was in tears when the verdict was announced and hugged her parents. Oliver and arc no. We be been living with this for nine months her father said. I m so relieved it s hard to have any words to a his decision Webber said "1 find it sad that Young people paying food Money to icam to drive would get to see a movie such As Jojo dancer your i pc is calling instead of instruction on driving the judge said Moore had t been prepared to driven poor Road conditions when her Driver s education car Slid on a snowy Road and crossed into the opposite Lane striking the car in which Mussy was Riding. Moore had testified during her trial Las month that the movie was shown during her first Driver education class the movie was inspired by the comedian s life particularly events followed a 1980 incident in which Lic to him Clfon fire while smoking cocaine. Classroom instructor James Myrick testified during inc irial that about is minutes of the Pryor movie was shown but Moore said she saw about 45 minutes of the film before being pulled out of to practice driving in a parking lot. Witnesses for pro driving school never explained Why the movie was shown. Paul St. Marie Moore s attorney said the movie had no place in a Drivers training class. In has no redeeming value whatsoever As far As Safe driving is concerned he said. Ii was clearly meant As pro driving school referred a Call to attorney Ger Ald Smith of Elyria who said the Accident was t the school s fault. You re going to have to learn to drive and you re going to have to do in on the Highway Smith said. So it s not a matter of inadequate Lorain county prosecutor Greg White said he would review the trial transcript and evidence to deter mine whether the Driver s education school or instructor would be criminally liable in Mussey s death. Bond revoked for fax Troub de couple Kansas City. To. A Bond was revoked tuesday for a couple facing sentencing for income la evasion after an irs agent testified icy slashed $1 million in valuables in hiding places such As trucks and a Chicken Coop. Randall and Trula Walker of Springfield arc accused of plundering Campbell 66, once a nationwide truck ing firm run by Trula Walker s father Walker the company s former Secretary treasurer pleaded guilty aug. 2 id concealing income by submit Ting false income Tail returns from 1981-85. He also pleaded guilty to filing false income reports to the interstate Commerce commission for Campbell 66. Mrs. Walker was found guilty in August of tax Eva Sion and conspiring to defraud the Federal government. The walkers were jailed Friday after authorities Dis covered caches of jewelry fun Milure and Cash at several Sites in Springfield. By the irs recovering part of this treasure trove inc ask that the walkers might ice is enhanced not lessened . District judge Dean Whipple said i ordering them held without tend. It is obvious that they intended to keep these assets hidden until they paid whatever fines might be assessed and then still have a Mother lode to Start Over Wilh Whipple Hopes to sentence the couple this week. Irs agent James Pierce testified tuesday that two confidential sources led agents to the slashed assets sonic of which had been buried in a Chicken Coop and a machine shed. Agents also found Semi truck loads of furniture including a 5-foot-tall chandelier and several pieces of antique furniture. Pierce said As Many As four truckloads May have been filled Wilh inc walkers assets in the past two years. Other assets uncovered included about j315,000 in Cash nearly 600 precious stones and 30 pounds of Gold flatware. Pierce testified that agents were still trying to deter mine the whereabouts of furs and almost priceless jewelled fab rec easter eggs. Once about $150,000 of the buried Money became wet and one of the confidential sources dried in in a clothes dryer Pierce said. The confidential source said that at one Point with both walkers present he put jewelry in a pipe Pierce said. The jewelry was found in a machine shop near the source s Home buried under a Pierce also said agents found jewelry and Cash encased in Cement in a tool shed and about si50,000 to si60,000 in a Chicken Coop. Another �180,000 was found buried in two Glass jars. He said a preliminary assessment showed that inc items found were valued at a Little Over is million. The walkers owe the Virsal least that much he said. Ken Kabonic a probation officer in Springfield testified that the walkers submitted 19b8 financial statements to him in August saying they had $6,250 Cash on hand and total personal property of about $5,000
