European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 a a the stars and stripes wednesday july 18,1990 twisters debris Susan Sparks hugs her daughter Mary As they take a break monday from searching through the rubble of their Kerrville Down in the area be Texas Home. A Tornado touched i sunday damaging about 30 houses. And purity level decline in . Drug traffickers Are find re Washington aping cocaine in Short Supply nearly everywhere in the United states a top . Drug official said tuesday. Ronald Caffrey told the Senate judiciary committee that the shortage was the a first positive development in Domestic wholesale cocaine availability and prices since the Onset of the cocaine  Caffrey the drug enforcement administration1 Deputy assistant administrator for operations said cocaine prices had reached their highest level since mid-1985 and that purity Levels had dropped. The combination of High prices and Low purity generally indicates a shortage in the drug he said. Some of the shortages Caffrey said May be due to stockpiling by cocaine traffickers and Price gouging by those playing on fears of a shortage. He said Law enforcement efforts at Home and in latin America have had a major Impact on the drug s availability but acknowledged that it could be temporary one Way the Dea knew shortages existed was because of its undercover agents1 dealings with drug trafficker. Quot normally when we do our undercover work we go out and we buy drugs at certain prices that Are quoted to us a a Caffrey said. A when the Market starts to dry up a Little bit suddenly people Are asking us to sell them drugs and then sting operations occur.1 said wholesale prices increased in los Angeles Houston Chicago and Miami Between Decem us Ana Tel Caffrey Sai in York i new Yoi _ her and june. In new York for example prices ranged from $14,000 to $20,000 per kilo in december but increased to from $21,000 to $35,000 per kilo by june. However Caffrey said paces remain far below the $55,000 to $65,000 per kilo found in 1982. At the same time the level of cocaine purity has dropped steadily since 1988, he said the Agency found that purity at the kilo level decreased from 90 percent two Yean ago to 74 percent in june. At the Gram or Street Purchase level purity dropped from 70 percent two Yean ago to 55 percent last month the Dea said. R Bush vows to fight a game playing Over deficit Washington apr president Bush said tuesday that disturbing new figures on the Federal deficit show the a time for game playing is Over,1 and he pledged to increase pressure for a Compromise on new taxes and budget cuts. A a we re getting to a  Bush told Magazine publishers. A it is absolutely essential that something be done. I will do my  he commented a Day after the White House office of budget and management boosted its estimate of the fiscal 1991 deficit to $168.8 billion up $10 billion from the administrations estimates a month ago and up sharply from the $100.5 billion it estimated in january. The projected deficit is More than $100 billion above the $64 billion target under the Gramm Rudman  budget negotiators had Given mixed reviews to the administrations gloomy assessment a some saying it would help prod slow moving talks and others suggesting the opposite. A Given yesterdays news a Bush said tuesday a the time for game playing is Over. And we have to get something done in that is not Only a sound budget agreement but is seen by the american people to be a sound budget  Bush said that while he is still a fairly optimistic such a pact can be reached it will require both spending cuts and tax increases. Bush earlier this month abandoned his 1988 Campaign pledge of a no new  the president said he is fearful a about the Confidence in the marketplace Quot should a budget Deal not be struck. A we will be pushing in the next couple of weeks Quot he said a and the meter is  budget Summit talks Between administration officials and congressional Lead ers entered their third month this week. Meanwhile the House was fighting tuesday Over a conservative backed constitutional amendment that would require a balanced budget. Backers of the amendment conceded monday that they seemed to be several votes Short of the two thirds margin needed to approve a constitutional amendment. Bush sent a letter to Capitol Hill urging support of the amendment and calling for greater presidential Powers. Bush called the balanced budget amendment a crucial to our nations Long term economic health and Prosperity. The administration coupled the release of the revised figures monday with a Bleak assessment of How government services would be affected by a $ 100 billion Cut which would be triggered this fall by the Gramm Rudman Law in the absence of a budget Accord the scenarios included eliminating half of the nations 2 million Active military personnel reducing hours of operation at the nations airports and halting increased drug interdiction efforts at the country a Borders. T no one was willing to say they believed such dramatic cuts would be allowed to stand for very Long. As recently As last fall the Gramm Rudman Law required spending cuts that were rolled Back As soon As negotiators worked out a budget agreement. But some lawmakers argued monday that the new numbers illustrate a problem that must be dealt with. A the Day of reckoning has arrived a said rep Leon Panetta a California Democrat who is chairman of the House budget committee. He said congressional Leaden had asked the White House to illustrate possible budget cuts a to find a Way to convey a sense of crisis. To show both our colleagues and the country that there is no Choice Here a supermarket patrons calculate gadgets a hassle i cadu7atcd �71 / a to j i a i no a. Clearwater Fla. Apr no More adding in your head trying to figure whether that last $10 Bill will cover five Frozen dinners and a bag of dog food. Supermarkets in three states have been testing grocery carts equipped with calculators to help Coupon dipping consumer keep within their budgets. That is if they can get the gadgets to work. Public which owns 370 Florida supermarkets bolted 200 calculator to cart handles at a new store in Lakeland and 156 others to baskets at an established Clearwater store near a sprawling retirement Complex. The Sites were picked for their diverse customers said Bob Mcdermott spokesman for Public the nations eighth largest supermarket Chain. In a random sampling of some 30 shoppers at the Clearwater store people said they liked the idea but often found the Gadget a hassle. Some shoppers did no to know How to use the Check Book size device which has a Keypad and display window on one Side and advertising space on the other. Others got it to work but with mixed results. A i tried using it Quot said Vicki Bartholomew an insurance worker with six items in her Basket a Melon cat food potatoes grapes Coffee and cottage cheese. A my total came up to $109.30, and i run a computer at work Quot she said. Julie Snider a Retiree who moved to Florida from Denver 10 years ago said a a they a be great if they worked  she said a three times 1 started the darn thing and something screws up and its Back to Zero. They should t do that to aggravate the old  but Coupon shopper Gail Schueren is a believer. A i love them a she said. A i done to have to worry about whether i have a scrap of paper and a Pencil to keep track of the discounts. And so far in a couple of weeks i be Only run into one that did no to work  w5e Sipper calculator is marketed by advantage Media group of Tulsa Olda which during the past two Yean has tested the device in Oklahoma and Alaska the Florida tests began about two months ago. The retailer pays from $ 13 to $25 for each calculator depending on How Many it buys. Tie advertising space is meant to make up for the Cost. The calculators being tested in Florida Are already obsolete and upgraded ones should arrive in August or september said Mike Brennan vice president of add Vantage. A a we be researched it and we also have to have instructional posters to help people understand what to do he said. A a we be made significant changes. The new ones have a new Keypad new Chip and new design. R