European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 18, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Ite Survey by sue Palumbo Mediterranean Bureau Naples Italy military service members through out Italy received increases in two allowances this month despite lacklustre responses to surveys upon which the allowances Are based a Navy official said. I Don t understand Why it is so hard for people Roget the surveys in said Holly Seiwald the Navy s Over seas housing allowance coordinator for All . Military members in Italy. It took three times before i got enough responses to even submit the  about 75 completed surveys were needed before Sei Wald could Forward them to the per diem committee in Washington which sets housing allowances. More than145 surveys were mailed to service members in Italy in May. The committee approved an increase in the allow Ance that compensates service members for purchases of such items As Kitchen cabinets wardrobes Light fix Tures arid toilet seats. The allowance called the move in housing allowance is paid Only once. The payment ceiling totals $1,005 after the increase of $136 was included As a result of the May surveys. The allowance can fluctuate since it is based on the Dollar lira Exchange rate. The housing allowance increases took effect nov. 1and translates into about $23 per month for enlisted personnel and about $22 for officers. The housing Al Lowance also is based on the current Exchange rate. The housing allowance increase might have been higher had More people filled out surveys Seiwald said. The surveys asked service members to estimate How much they spend on housing food and utilities. You would have thought people would be More interested especially since the last Survey was so Success Ful Seiwald said. They were beating Down the doors to Tell me what they paid for  she was referring to a special Survey that asked How much service members were paying for car insurance. The per diem committee raised the Cost of living allow Ance paid monthly to $71 in october As a result of the special Survey Seiwald said. The Cost of living allowance could Rise again As a re sult of a worldwide Survey scheduled to begin in de Cember which will focus on Utility costs in specific nations such As Italy and Spain. Adm. Mike Boorda commander of . Naval forces Europe has asked per diem committee Mem Bers to visit Italy and Spain during the Winter so they can see firsthand what conditions service members live under Seiwald said. Committee members plan to visit . Military installations in Italy Spain and Wales in december. Having a Ball youngsters in Seefeld Southwest of Munich Germany Roll heavy snowfall blanketed much of upper Bavaria Over a giant snowball tuesday during break from school. Night turning the Countryside into a Winter wonderland. I thursday Novemb 18,1993 germans list Sites receiving blood plasma Heidelberg Germany is German health authorities have provided a Complete jut of hospitals and clinics that received plasma products from us plasma of Koblenz one of two companies that have been shut Down for using inadequate tests to Check for his and other infectious diseases. The list which contains 82 facilities includes29 that have been named on claims from the civilian health and medical program of the uni formed services since 1989. However Cham pus does not track data for some department of defense beneficiaries such As civilian employees who would file claims through their health insurance company. German health care officials Are preparing a similar list of facilities that received plasma products from Haem Oplas a company in Osterode according to a statement from the army s 7thmedical come. That company and a partner lab oratory also were shut Down last week because of concerns about their testing procedures. . Military health care authorities recommend that people undergo blood tests if they Are concerned that they May have received transfusions while being treated at the facilities. Test shave shown that some blood products were contaminated by the human immunodeficiency virus which causes aids. The cities in Germany and the names of the 29health care centers Are As follows bad Homburg  Klinken. Bad nauheim Stadt Krank Enhaus. Bayreuth Hohe waste Krank Enhaus Kli Nikuma Bayreuth. Berlin a Linimum Steglitz. Bocholtz St. Agnes Hospital. Burg Wengenfeld Kreis Krank Enhaus. Trails him Kreis Krank Enhaus. Darmstadt Marien Hospital. Atteln St. Linzena Krank Enhaus. Daun Maria Hilf Krank Enhaus. Dierdorf Joha Niter Krank Enhaus. Frankfurt Stadt Krank Enhaus Hochst. Friedberg. Kreis Krank Enhaus. Fulda Stadt a Linimum. Giessen Evangeli Sches Krank Enhaus. Gross Umstadt Kreis Krank Enhaus. Hamburg libertine a Krank Enhaus. Hanau Stadt Kuji Nikuma. Mannheim Stadt Kuji Nikuma. Marl Paracelsus Krinik. Merzig Kreis Krank Enhaus. Monta Baur Barmherzig Bruder Kran Venhaus. Nasburg Kreis Krank Enhaus. Nedwied Elisabeth Krank Enhaus. Offenbach Stadt a Linimum. Schwet Zingen Kreis Krank Enhaus. Trier Behrang Marien Krank Enhaus. Waders St. Elisabeth Krinik. Vatican denies report of Pope s waning health Vatican City up the Vatican de Nied wednesday that Pope John Paul ii has Ever suffered fainting fits or loss of memory or that his general health has declined. Chief Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro is sued the denial to rebut a Rome newspaper re port that the Pope had suffered blackouts recently. The newspaper suggested that one of these fainting fits caused the pontiff to fall an dislocate his right shoulder in the Vatican last week. Navarro said the Only reason the 73-year-Oldpope cancelled his usual wednesday general audience on doctors orders was the need to main Tain the perfect immobilization of his right shoulder which is being held rigid by a soft cast. There is no other reason Navarro said. Tout this in relation to an improbable decline in the general health of the Pope is pure  go faces court martial on Check charges by Rosemary Sawyer Brussels Bureau an army staff sergeant stationed at Schinnen Netherlands could be sentenced to up to 20 years in jail on charges of writing More than $4,000 in bad checks. Sgt. Keith Mallard an administrative clerk is expected to plead guilty today in a general court martial to three counts of writing bad checks. It was unclear wednesday How he would plead to another charge of obtaining Telephone services by false pretences. Mallard is assigned to he co 54th base support in formerly the 54th area support group. Under the uniformed code of military Justice jurors could Call for the 30-year-old Soldier to receive punishment rang ing up to 20 years confinement forfeiture of Al pay and reduction to the lowest enlisted rank. Mallard is accused of writing seven bad checks total ing $4,620 Between february and april and of falsify ing an application for Telephone service in Germany after his Telephone was disconnected in 1990. The Soldier is being tried at Panzer Cavern in Kaiserslautern at 9 . Today because the army does not have a courtroom in the Netherlands. Mallard who is Black told the stars and stripes that he believes he suffered discrimination when unit Lead ers elected to try him by general court martial the forum usually reserved for the most serious offences. He questioned Why he was t referred for a less severe summary court martial or Given nonjudicial punishment. If i m a Dir bag Soldier sure enough get me out said Mallard who has logged 12 years in the army. But i be got an unblemished  he said that several White soldiers in the Community also wrote bad checks or were caught driving while intoxicated but received Little or no punishment he also said he viewed his treatment As retribution for objecting when Community leaders in Schinnen sought to take actions that he contended violated army regulations