European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 19, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday july 19, 1991 the stars and stripes b Page 3bungee fever has America jumping by Kelley Shannon the associated press a a new braunfels Texas a bungee jumping the free fall craze rooted in South Pacific rituals of manhood is springing up in High places All across the country. Still some people think those who strap giant rubber bands to their bodies and jump off Bridges platforms and Cliffs have More bravery Thair brains. A it feels like you re going to lose your life for a second but you come Back up and you re Happy again a said Rico Gonzales. A a in a hooked. I think this is going to be my life a to be a bungee jumper.�?�. Companies with names such As bungee fever total rebound and vertigo bungee Hope More and More people Start feeling the same Way. They re organizing jumping trips erecting towers and cranes and charging by the leap. In the South Pacific male islanders once attached vines to their Ankles and jumped off towers to symbolize becoming men. The modern Day version uses elastic bungee cords similar to the ones the military uses to drop heavy cargo from helicopters. The sport caught on in the United states in the late 1980s with forbidden plunges from Bridges and other platforms. Now entrepreneurs in Texas California Colorado and elsewhere Are cashing in on its growing popularity. Susie Simpson manages Bungy Over Texas a jumping site that opened july 4 on the Guadalupe River near new braunfels. She said she supervises about 100 jumps a Day at $35 each. Bungee fever operates a 120-foot jumping platform in the Southern California resort town of Lake Elsinore. Total rebound has a 320-foot platform in Dixon calif., North of san Francisco. In Idaho Springs colo., Clear Creek county commissioners in february approved a 140-foot bungee Tower in a secluded Canyon. The jumper is tethered to a Cord several feet Shorter than the distance from the top of the platform to the ground so that the jumper is pulled Back up just moments before he or she would hit the ground. Several bouncy rebounds follow before the thrill is Over. The cords usually Are attached to harnesses but some advanced jumpers Are strapped by their Ankles and dive head first. One fatality and one serious injury have been reported in new zealand where the activity got its commercial Start two years ago. After three deaths in 1989, France introduced regulations on bungee jumping last year. No deaths from bungee jumping have apparently been recorded in the United states. In Orlando fla., Orange county commissioners voted this month to ban scan group partners from organizing bungee jumps from a 230-foot Crane. A was a 50-year-old Mother frankly in a afraid two Home boys will drink a couple of Beers and do it on a dare a said commissioner fran Pignone. Bungy Over Texas also has critics. A a in a in an absolute state of rage a said Dan Moore a Retiree who lives next door to the 120-foot Tower. A a it a made me Alec Ross takes the plunge sunday at a Beach in Galveston of Nijm Egen alive with a sound off 1 2 by Ron Mckinney staff writer Nijm Egen Netherlands a sounding cadences and passing out american flags the 547th engr in marchers cruised through the third leg of the International four Days marches on thursday. The team from Darmstadt Germany entertained the crowd along the Roadside of the 100-mile, four Day March through Eastern Holland with spirited renditions of the National Anthem America the Beautiful and even the theme song from Gilligan a Island. Once they realized they did no to know the words to the Brady Bunch theme song the soldiers turned to sgt. 1st class Danny Waagmeester for More conventional cadences. A we try and do them cadences As much As we can a Waagmeester said. A we kind of burned out the first Day because we tried to do it All the burned out or not the 14-Man teams cadence chanting Drew cheer after cheer As it marched the most difficult leg of the 100-mile, internationally known annual March a the numerous Hills West of Nijm Egen. Those menacing slopes did not Stop spec. Cesar Lopez who plodded steadily ahead in the formation despite the constant pain of sore feet and broken blisters. A a in a hurting but in a still moving a Lopez said. A my feet Are numb. They feel like Cement Waagmeester in his second Nijm Egen March was also struggling. A last year i was pumped up and stuff it being my first one a Waagmeester said. A a in a glad this one is almost Over despite the collective pain there was no thought of dropping out of the March which concludes today a not with thousands of people lining even the Rural roads shouting encouragement and Good wishes. And certainly not with the Small children offering cups of water and asking for autographs. A a it a pretty neat because you never get to do it a said spec. Rusty Dudenhoeffer. A would you think being in the army you would sign autographs a this Engineer team was determined to have fun while still maintaining a grueling Pace. Sgt. Richard Villa carried the teams portable stereo which played beatles songs. Pfc. Vincent Alvaro tried to convince a swedish Soldier to Trade Battle dress uniform pants. A we can Trade right now a Alvaro said. The All american of the team spec. Adam Pacheco wore nine american flags attached to his Rucksack and draped Over his head. As he walked the flags constantly flapped in his face. A it just shows that in a proud to be an american and in a not ashamed to show it a Pacheco said although Pacheco was besieged by souvenir seekers he did not relinquish his last Flag until he saw a smiling 3-year-old dutch girl perched on a Brick Fence. Pacheco broke out of the formation and handed her a Small stars and stripes. The girls smile broadened As she waved the Flag while her american Friend ran to join his team marching . Trade deficit rises for 2nd straight month Washington apr the . Merchandise Trade deficit widened 1.5 percent to $4.6 billion in May its second increase in a Row after falling to an eight year Low in March the government said thursday. The Commerce department said imports totalled $39.9 billion Down 0.6 percent from the previous month. Exports fell 0.9 percent to $35.3 billion. The deficit is the difference Between the two. Analysts had suggested the Gap would Widen gradually As the . Economy strengthened at the same time some overseas economies were faltering. The deficit had dipped to $4.1 billion in March the smallest imbalance since a $3.96 billion Gap in june 1983. It Rose to a revised $4.5 billion a month later As imports outpaced exports. The april Gap originally was reported to have been $4.8 billion. For the first five months of 1991, the deficit has been running at an annual rate of $62.5 billion. Many economists agree with the administration fore cast for a 1991 deficit of about $90 billion. That would compare with $101.7 billion in 1990 and Mark the first imbalance of under $100 billion since 1983. The administration is looking to continued Export growth to fuel the Economy a recovery from the recession. Exports represented about 40 percent of americans economic growth in 1990 and contributed to the creation of about one in four new jobs. The decline in exports reflected decreases in the Sale of both consumer and capital goods including aircraft. Industrial supplies motor vehicles and Grain sales increased but failed to offset declines. Some private economists have expressed concern Over weakness in the economies of some of americans major trading partners. That could slow the Export Pace at the same time the . Economy is resuming growth and encouraging americans to buy foreign goods. But the leaders of the worlds major industrialized nations declared wednesday that a global recession has been avoided. Despite the fact that the world Economy is growing at its slowest Pace in nearly a decade the group of seven forecast at its London Summit that future prospects looked Bright. Americans foreign Oil Bill Rose 15.3 percent in May to $4.6 billion. The volume of Oil imports was up 13.9 percent As the Price Rose 15 cents to $16.55 a barrel. Also contributing to the decrease in imports were drops in purchases of capital and consumer goods and motor vehicles which fell $280 million. As usual the largest deficit was with Japan an imbalance of $2.4 billion. Still that was the lowest since a $1.8 billion Gap in february 1984. It was followed by an $800 million shortfall with Taiwan and a $700 million imbalance with China. The United states posted surpluses with a number of countries. The surplus was $1.3 billion with Western Europe $200 million with both Mexico and Egypt and $100 million with the soviet Union
