European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Monday june 1, 1992 the stars and stripes b Page 17 Money matter today s tip a half dozen former soviet republics got a lesson in american capitalism when the . Commerce department said they were Selling uranium at unfairly Low prices and proposed a punitive import Tariff that would More than double the Price. The preliminary ruling issued in response to complaints from . Uranium producers puts the Bush administration in the embarrassing position of moving to cripple exports from some of the most impoverished former republics while the United states rallies global Aid for them. Conversion rates London up fridays rates for the . Dollar to other currencies. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other local currencies in dollars gom is quoted $337.12 an ounce Silver at $4.07. By Iksic Pound. Gennan Mart. Rren Cli pane. Met for. B0ihr we by. Manta. Sam franc. Greek tack Tea to Twita. Saadi arabian Nyal. Can sort  Norm Ian Tana. Of Mem. May 28 .1.8021 May 29 18261 .16275 1.6040 .5.4640 5.4115 .1.8325 1.8142 1228.15 1.214.15 1.4780 1.4560 _ 192.46 a 6.809.10 _ 3.7495 _ 100.38 _ 133.41 _ 1.2024 _ 1132 _ 6.2740 a 6.2015 these Are commercial rates and can be related Only to the use of foreign currency by . Forces for official business. The Only official rates apply to the Sale of German Marks and British pounds to . Personnel for personal use. Through monday these will be 1.s7 Marks to a Dollar and $1.87 for a Pound based on Price fixings Friday at military banking  wants profits from newsletter paper reports Washington a Wall Street week Host Louis Rukeyser is cashing in with a financial newsletter and the Washington Post reported that Public television officials Are angry they re not sharing in the profits. Rukeyser angrily denied the report. He called it a a Hatchet jobs that misrepresented him and officials at Maryland Public television which produces Wall Street week. A a it a a non Story based on an Anonymous source a Rukeyser said. Leonard Downie jr., executive editor of the Post said the newspaper  comment. The Post quoted Brian Smith the newsletters Alexandria a based publisher As saying the newsletter Louis Rukeyser a Wall Street is expected to generate $10 million in Revenue by mid july. The Post said Maryland Public television officials complained that Rukeyser is capitalizing unfairly on the show which draws 10 million viewers each week. Poll shows 55% support Sale of f-15 jets to saudi Arabia los Angeles up a coalition of aerospace contractors and unions released a Survey showing 55 percent of registered voters in los Angeles support a proposed $5 billion Sale of 72 Mcdonnell Douglas  f-15 fighter aircraft to saudi Arabia. A a the people of los Angeles clearly understand the importance of this Sale to the regions economic health a said Kearney Bothwell of the . Jobs now coalition. A they know that if this Sale docs not take place thousands of jobs and billions of dollars the Economy desperately needs will go to Europe just As they have in the  a Quarter of the 501 voters surveyed did not support the Deal. The Survey was conducted Between april 21 and May 8 by dimension research inc. Saudi leaders announced last november that they wanted to buy the planes but the Bush administration has put any major Arab arms deals on hold. Any Sale of f-15s would probably provoke a bitter fight with congressional supporters of Israel. The coalition has argued that if the f-15 Deal is not approved the saudis arc Likely to buy european Tornado fighter planes. St. Louis based Mcdonnell Douglas had been expecting to close Down the f-15 line next year but the saudi order would keep production going for several More years. The key subcontractors arc Hughes aircraft co., builder of the radar system and United technologies Pratt amp Whitney which provides the f-15�?Ts engines. A saudi Arabia has to defend an Oil Rich area the size of the Eastern . With the smallest air Force of any major country in the Middle East a Bothwell said. A the saudis have about 250 combat aircraft in their inventory while Inin has Over 300, plus an Assembly Plant for Mig-29s." the coalition estimated that the Deal would generate More than $1.5 billion in new sales in Southern California. It said that More than 40,000 american workers arc employed As a result of the f-15 program. Pickle physics prompts Crisp dispute by Eben Shapiro the new York times a Snappy television commercial for Claussen pickles has left a sour taste in the Mouth of the Industry Leader Vlasic foods inc. The Claussen commercial uses a graphic test to demonstrate the crispness of its pickles. In the and Claussen pickles break crisply in two when Bent. In contrast the less Crisp rivals which Are unidentified simply Bend under pressure. The commercial does not make Clear Why anyone would want to Bend a Pickle in the first place or what the tensile strength of pickles has to do with taste. Nonetheless Vlasic has cried foul and complained to an advertising Industry tribunal that the Claussen a spot is unfair and misleading. The National advertising division of the Council of better business bureaus in new York recently heard arguments from both sides on the investors guide Case of the tormented Pickle. Vlasic part of Campbell soup co., dominates the $623 million Pickle business Overall but Claussen part of the Philip Morris cos., has stronger sales in the smaller refrigerated area of the business. And Claussen has been gaining its share in supermarket coolers while Vlas ices refrigerated sales have been dropping. Last year Vlasic a refrigerated sales dropped 20 percent to $15.2 million while Claussen gained 11 percent to $80.5 million according to information resources inc., a Market research firm in Chicago. Claussen has hired High priced Legal Talent to defend its right to Bend pickles on television. To demonstrate the Claussen claim Ethan Horwitz a Patent and copyright attorney for Darby amp Darby had nearly 150 brands of pickles shipped to a conference room in the firms office. Vlasic declined to discuss the Case but Horwitz disclosed his strategy. Quot we were arguing about Pickle physics a he said. Horwitz who charges from $275 to $350 an hour for his counsel spent the better part of two Days breaking and bending pickles. Such hands on research comes at a High Cost namely ridicule from colleagues. A people were saying a this is what you went to Law school for to snap pickles a a Horwitz said. Earlier in the month armed with shots of pickles in motion and pickles at rest Claussen and Vlasic executives squared off before the National advertising division. A decision on the fairness of the commercial which is not binding is expected this summer. Ira allowed to mix with regular account by Bill Doyle q i have an investment in a Mutual fund that is doing Well. It is not an individual retirement account. I will retire soon with a Lump sum payment from a tax sheltered annuity in addition to a pension. I want to Roll Over the Lump sum from the annuity into a variety of iras. If i close out my current Mutual fund account May i Start a new investment in the same fund As an Ira with a portion of the annuity Money i receive a sure. For that matter you can open an Ira in that Mutual Flond without dosing your current account there. There a no Rule against having both an Ira and a regular account a the same investment since it to dear Yon Are Happy with the Mutual had a natural move would be to set up a Ira there and enjoy the benefits of both the Ira and your other account. Lump sum payments from qualified retirement plans such As tax sheltered annuities can be rolled Over into one or More iras to keep that Money deferred from income tax until it is withdrawn which you Are required to Start doing after passing age 70vl just make sure to get the Money into the Ira within 60 Days alter receiving the Check. If you miss the deadline you la be stuck for income taxes. And if you Are under 59vi, there will be a additional 10 percent Federal penalty tax. Q i know Ira contributions Are limited to $2,000 a year while you Are working is there any limit on the amount that can be rolled Over into an ira9 a none whatsoever As Long As the Lump sum conies from a qualified tax sheltered or tax deferred retirement account. Some folks especially highly paid corporate executives floating out of the business world on Golden parachutes sock princely sums into rollover iras. Q i have $90,000 to invest and have chosen a Mutual fund holding . Government securities. At present it is paying 8.25 percent in dividends. I can Doyle Only get 3.5 to 4 percent in certificates of Deposit. Will my investment in the fund be Safe a not to the extent that a cd with Federal Deposit insurance corp. Coverage is Safe. When you invest in a Mutual fund you buy shares in the Frind. The value of those shares can go up or Down. Although they done to move widely shares of government securities Mutual funds do fluctuate in line with the Market prices of the . Treasury and Federal Agency securities the Hinds hold. There a no doubt Treasury and Federal Agency securities will make interest payments on time and pay off at face value upon maturity. But Between the time they Are issued and the time they mature Elwir Market values can change taking the values of government securities Mutual tends along. Nonetheless because they have Only moderate risk such tends Are considered sensible investments for people seeking income. Q when i wrote to my congressman urging repeal of the social Security earnings test i received a form letter reply. It states that the earnings elimination would Benefit Only wealthy people such As doctors lawyers and corporate executives. It also asserts that ending the earnings test would a bust the Federal  being 67, drawing social Security benefits and working Lor a modest salary 1 know the first part of that reply is dead wrong. How about the second part is it a fact a no at Best it can be called a theory at worst Poppycock. Some studies have indicated that doing away with the test would Cost the . Treasury billions of dollars in additional social Security benefits annually. Other studies say the increased benefits would be More than offset by additional income taxes and social Security taxes paid by the estimated 700,000 senior citizens who would go Back to work. Truth to Tell we wont know the answer until the Long overdue repeal of that earnings test takes place. Dow Montt Wracian cum Tiona but he can provide maw we Only a Vougt Tow column King feature Syndicate inc