European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 9, 1991 the stars and stripes c ilk 6fi Page 17 today s tip foreign investment projects in the soviet Union and Eastern Europe soared an average of 41 percent during the first Quarter of 1991, according to a . Survey. Since the beginning of last year the number of such joint venture projects has gone up a staggering five times. But Only a fraction of the 18,900 now registered in six East bloc countries Are already operational the Survey compiled by the . Economic commission for Europe indicated. One Factor slowing Start  it said is the difficulties Western companies have in finding qualified managers for their East european operations. Conversion rates London up1 thursdays closing rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars Gold was quoted at $357.55 an ounce Silver at $3.98. Aug. 7 aug. 8 British pound.1-711 1.7035 German mark.1.716 1.780 French franc5.8365 5.8070 dutch guilder.1.933 1.9195 belgian franc 35.3225 35.2625 italian lira1,284.50 1,278.6 Swiss franc.1 5025 1.5055 greek drachma189.35 188.60 turkish lira4,402.50 4,398.60 saudi arabian riyal3.7501 3.7501 Spanish peseta107.17 106.68t portuguese escudo146.98 146.40 Canadian dollar1.1465 1.1458 austrian schilling.12.064 11.9975 norwegian krone.6.695 6.665 danish krone.6.6375 6.6075 these Are unofficial rates As reported by wire service and banking sources and they Are listed to give some idea of daily currency fluctuations. The Only official rate concerns the Sale of German Marks to . Personnel for personal use and this will be 1.66 Friday based on thursdays noontime Price fixing. Dow Jones new York up now Jones closing Range of averages thursday 30 industrials 20 transport 15 utilities 65 stocks nigh 3045.17 1233.78 205.25 1085.74 Low Clou 2995.30 3013.86 1214.74 1221.79 203.12 204.06 1069.16 1075.43 change -12.75 3.88 0.43 3.90 economic recovery still weak says fed s Survey of businesses publisher ceasing operations new York a the publisher of discover health and five other magazines said wednesday it is halting operations because of the weak advertising Market and tight credit. Family Media inc. Said however it will continue trying to find a buyer for the magazines. The shutdown provided a grim reminder of the recessions Impact on the Magazine Industry where and volume has plunged in the past two years forcing the closure of several publications. Some Industry analysts said poor management of the publishing company was just As much to blame for its demise. Robert Riordan principal owner of family Media told staffers in a memo that the a continual downturn in advertising and an Economy which hinders the ability to borrow new Money forced the move. By the Washington Post Washington the Federal Reserve reported wednesday that the nations recovery from recession is proceeding at a a slow uneven Pace a with continued weakness in retail sales and real estate and new a ounces of layoffs by state and local governments. The Central Bank a report compiled by its 12 regional Banks based on comments of hundreds of business people across the country follows a spate of pessimistic statistics that reflected the grudging transition from recession to recovery. Wednesdays report is both the most recent indication of economic malaise a it covers the period through the end of july a and one of the rare barometers of the National Economy that is based on widespread probing of the private sector rather than on compilations of statistics. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan had the report in hand when the feel reduced a key interest rate tues Day in Hopes of stimulating business and consumer spending. The picture drawn by the document is of a recovery somewhat weaker than Bush administration officials have suggested. A a National economic conditions continue to improve but at a slow uneven Pace a said the report which is called the a beige books after the color of its cover. Although the Survey s results varied by fed District and by Industry there were no reports of Strong business activity anywhere in the country. Manufacturers reported a Small Rise in demand for their goods whereas some retailers said their sales were falling. None reported doing better than modestly increasing. In i housing considered a Harbinger of recovery the report said a the Spring pickup in Home sales appears to have moderated with respondents in half the districts reporting a loss of  construction of office buildings a remains  business activity in some fed District such As those around Cleveland. Atlanta. Chicago. Minneapolis Aid Kansas City. Mo., was said to be picking up. At though modestly. Other areas a most Miff Etc Richmond. Boston. New York. Philadelphia. Dallas and All of California a were barely growing or had Flat or declining business activity. The beige Book is prepared eight Rimes a year just before meetings of the feds key policy making group the Federal open Market committee. The Nett get together of the committee scheduled for aug. Iii. Recent economic statistics have suggested that the nation is either polling out of recession very slowly air dipping backward. New figures last week showed that employers payrolls shrank last month by 5e Al Tow. A com Reno that More than offset a Smalt drop in the in emptor ment rate and showed that Layoff Are continuing. Thousands expected to attend  fairs in Germany this month by Chuck Roberts staff writer a Wertheim Germany a at least 2,000 people Are expected to attend each of two  fairs this month designed to help service members find civilian jobs during a time of troop reductions and a sputtering Economy. The  fairs will be held from 10 . To 5 . Aug. 28 in the Vogel Weh military Community officers and civilians club at Kaiserslautern and from 10 . To 5 . Aug. 30 in the old Dominion no club at Patrick Henry Village in Heidelberg. The fairs Are free. Although the  fairs Are geared toward service members they Are available to All government id card holders including family members. Former military members also can attend if they Are Able to verify that they were in the service. The non commissioned officers association has added an additional  fair to its european schedule despite decreased interest from . Companies. But fewer participating companies  equate to less interest from the approximately 20 businesses that have signed up thus far said Howard Harrell director of the Coa veterans employment assistance program in san Antonio Texas. A they certainly  go to the expense of coming to Europe if they weren to interested in someone with a military background a Harrell said in a phone interview from his office in san Antonio. The . Hunt transport company from Lowell ark., showed a keen interest in the military Market at last year s fair offering More than 376 jobs As truck Drivers said Jim Justice a Driver recruiting specialist for the company. Former military people comprise about 43 percent of the employees at . Hunt which is the largest trucking company in the United states. Justice said he will be trying to fill about 400 jobs at the fairs and during a recruiting trip to Frankfurt. Numbers and Stuttgart in Germany. Starting salaries vary from $26,000 to $30,000 a year for beginning truck Drivers. Justice said. A i like offering military people jobs a said Justice who is an army Retiree. A a they re Good sound people. They re a Good  Justice said hiring people with military experience makes his  easier because their working background is simple to Check and they have High physical and moral standards. Other participating companies include the . State department which will be looking for Telephone installers and repairmen computer operators and secretaries among other positions. Serf air at Frankfurt will be recruiting systems programmers computer operators vehicle operators Materiel specialists and warehouse workers. Harrell said most companies recruit to fill a wide variety of jobs and that the jobs can vary from fair a fair. Although fewer companies Imbt show up the ones that come i Ohabi wiil encounter a record number of people Ai the fairs said Bill Watkins. Director of Coa in Europe. He said there have been numerous cafes Ham Sec Emend ers who soon will be in the join Market. Many want to know if there Mil be any representatives from companies in saudi Arabia. There Wiff be one Recruiter from saudi Arabia said Watkins. A without a doubt it son of scares me at times tire number of people we could  Watkins Saal he predicts that at least Uwi people Mil attend each Faro. One of lire keys to getting the most out of the  Bur is filling out a ficus Rosinne and hawing about 20 copses to Dusti Rhuye. Watkins said. Resume forms can be obtained Horn a local Coa chapter i it a service Center or at the  Faro. The Coa Wiff Send one of tire copies to its  Bank in Sam Amoron where More than 800 companies Wiff have Access to each resume. Harrell said. Companies sometimes request As Manv As 5fl resumes when they axe to Kuig to till certain Jafes. Watkins also recommended Chat interested participants attend the career t Rait St Tom seminars held As each Jot fare Ite the Day before the Mam event. The i free hour seminars Are taught by Btl of Upa Wridt author of does year resume Wear combat Ratos. The seminar re from to 4 pan. Judge says firm entitled to iraqi assets Washington apr a Federal judge on wednesday reaffirmed his earlier ruling that an american company that made custom built Industrial furnaces for the iraqi government is entitled to $64.1 million because Baghdad lied about their eventual use. Cons arc corp. Of Rancocas n.j., sought to recover Money for furnaces that weren to delivered because of the persian Gulf War. . District judge Stanley Sporkin said he would stand by his april finding that cons arc fulfilled its contractual obligations and was entitled to recover its losses. A the president has got to remember there a a Constitution. These people have got to have some rights Quot Sporkin said. Turning to John c. Cleary the assistant . Attorney who represented the state department and Treasury department in the Case he said a you go Appeal. Take to to the supreme  Cleary declined comment on Sporkin s findings or any plans for an Appeal. Sporkin ruled april 5 that cons arc was entitled to costs and quintuple damages because the iraqi government had lied about the eventual use of the furnaces. Half afar of said they a would be a six o produce artificial limbs Tor seism r to eight year Wax with Iran. The Pentagon  they Coqui re to manufacture  weapons component. N june the government a ska Sporski to vacate the monetary judgment. Jorng a conflicts with the pre usent a a ice is rabbi shag economic unctions icam St Iraq int freezing iraqi issuers a r5e l ruled states. President Busti froze til iraqi assets aug 2. The Lay Iraq Nova tie. Kuwait