European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters monday february 14.1994 today s rates following Are fixed rates at which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German Mark 1.71 British Pound 1.50 dutch Guilder. 1.91 greek drachma. 246.5239 note the rates above apply within the Host country. Figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank rates that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies italian lira 1,695.50 turkish lira 17,681.00 Spanish peseta 142.71 portuguese escudo. 176.78 austrian Schilling. 12.324 saudi Royal 3.75 Bahrain Dinar 0.37675 kuwaiti Dinar 0.2972 norwegian Krone 7.585danish Krone .6.852 British Pound. 1.4615 German Mark 1.7525 Swiss franc 1.4785 French franc. 5.957 dutch Guilder .1.9658 belgian franc 36.20 Canadian Dollar 1.3421 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $381.10 an ounce Silver quote $5.28 an ounce i a May require Disney to build roads by the Washington Post Richmond a. In another set Back for gov. George Allen and the Walt Disney co., a legislative panel Fri Day backed a proposal that would require the company to build $44.4 million Worth of roads near its proposed Northern Virg inia theme Park and then Send the ill to the state. The plan would Force Disney to put up the Money for roughly one third of the Road projects needed for its Prince Wil Liam county Park. The state would repay the company no More than $3.5 million a year and Only if the Park remained open. Disney fared no better in the state Senate finance committee. Member approved a competing plan that would Force Disney either to accept a la per son admission tax or to write an annual $5.6 million Check to cover half of the debt service on state Road Bonds Bene fiting the Park. Disney vehemently opposes the admission tax but executives quickly rejected the Lump sum payment As equally unacceptable. After a Day of tense and often confusing negotiation it was Clear that the Gen eral Assembly is willing to offer some sort of help to build Disney s american ear Haymarket but not nearly As much As Allen requested. Legislative sponsors of Allen s pro posed $163.2 million incentive package agreed to drop about $15 million Worth of roads after conceding that portion was doomed. Meanwhile opposition to Disney emerged on new fronts Friday. Four of the nation s largest environmental group announced that they will make the history based theme Park a test Case for new Federal environmental Laws. The environmental defense fund the natural resources Council the Sierra club and the conservation Law foundation noted anti pollution rules and guide lines for spending Federal Road Money to keep the Park out of Rural Haymarket. Breast implant makers agree to Settle suits attorneys say Birmingham Ala. A the three largest manufacturers of Silicon breast implants have agreed to pay part of a proposed $4.75 billion settlement to women injured by the implants the women s attorneys said saturday. However representatives of one of the manufacturers Dow Corning corp., said there was no agreement in the Case. Representatives of the other two manufacturers Bristol Myers Squibb cd. And Baxter International could hot be reached at their corporate Headquarters saturday. Lawsuits Over implants have been consolidated in Birmingham. Us. District judge Sam Pointer is overseeing the negotiations Between about 20 corporation Sand attorneys representing hundreds of thousands of implant recipients. Lawyers Stan Chesley and Margaret Moses Branch who serve on the Plain tiffs negotiating committee said a Tenta Tive agreement was reached Friday with Dow Corning new York based Bristol Myers Baxter based in Deerfield 111. And some smaller companies. The agreements concerned How much each company would pay into a $4.75 Bil lion settlement fund which was proposed in september. The percentages were based mostly on what share of the implant Market the companies controlled Branch said., the settlement would compensate women for everything from discomfort to disfigurement. It also would pay for checkups for women with implants re Moval of the implants arid treatment of illnesses associated with the implants. The implants can rupture and some women have blamed the silicone for Trig Gering immune system disorders including scleroderma a hardening of the skin resulting from abnormal fibrous tissue growth and arthritis. More than 1 million american women have received breast implants about 80percent of them for cosmetic reasons. Branch said the agreements reached Friday represent 85 percent of the settlement slightly More than $4  Are continuing with 3m and general electric. The agreements Are subject to approval by the plaintiffs advisory committee and Pointer. But Dow Corning representatives said reports of an agreement were premature. The negotiations Are continuing a they have been for several months said Richard Hazelton Dow coming s presi Dent and chief executive officer. We re making Progress and we re hopeful that something will come out of it but there s no settlement to report  Dow Corning based in Midland mich., was the largest manufacturer of silicone gel breast implants until it stopped making them in 1992. Shoppers crowd around California Rice at a Tokyo supermarket Friday the first time . Rice was sold at major japanese stores. American Rice goes on Sale in Japan Tokyo up japanese super markets Friday began placing califor Nia Rice on shelves at considerably less than the Cost of local Grain but store operators said they May face consumer resistance to an unknown product. Leading japanese supermarkets Seiyu and Ito Sakado said they Are placing the . Rice on shelves without blending it with local Grain. Until last year Japan was virtually closed to foreign Rice imports but was forced to import Rice last year after a poor Harvest resulting from bad weather and higher than average rainfall. Sales of Rice from Thailand and China began in japanese stores tues Day. The California Rice is Selling at be tween 13 and 16 percent less than the local equivalent store operators said. Seeking to boost their Case against the importing of Japan s Staple food japanese Farmers have claimed that the imported product is different and does not suit the palate of local Consumers. Some stores have blended foreign Rice with the local product in the hop Consumers will not notice but there have been complaints that buyers should know what they Are receiving. February sales Are a test  be set special discount prices a Seiyu spokesman said. Victoria s secret Robes recalled Over flammability risk Columbus Ohio Tuptij Victori a s secret said Friday that Littias voluntarily recalled about 4,000 Terry cloth Robe sit sold during 1992, citing the possibility that the Robes May not meet Federal flammability standards. The Chain a unit of the limited said no injuries have been reported from the Robes. It also said it has voluntarily contacted the . Consumer product safety commission about the Robes. The specific product is the Floral applique Robe sold Between february and november 1992 for $98 each. The Robe is White Terry cloth and features Floral applique on the breast pocket shawl Collar and cuffs. The company said it will give each Cus Tomer a gift certificate in Exchange for the Robe