European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 01, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 14 the stars and stripes Money matters tuesday november 1,1994 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 British Pound 1.66dutch Guilder. 1.65 German Mark. 1.47 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 " austrian Schilling. 10.6335 Bahrain Dinar. 0.37699belgian franc.31 j 63 British Pound 1.6355canadian Dollar 1.3526 banish Krone 5.9090dutch Guilder .1.6858 French franc 5.1490german Mark. 1.5040 greek drachma Natalian lira .1,545 Kuwait Dinar. 0.29685 norwegian Krone 6.5665 portuguese escudo. 154.42saudi rial. 3.7510 Spanish peseta. 125.68 Swiss franc. 1.2555 turkish lira. 35,740 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $384,00 an ounce Silver quote $5.27 an ounce sources merchants National Bank & Trust  the associated press sol nation army leads Charity fund raising Washington a the Salva Tion army raised More Money in private contributions last year than any other i Charity in America nearly $683 million. In second place the american red Cross raised nearly $536 million. In its annual philanthropy 400" list ing the biweekly chronicle of philanthropy found that giving to Large organizations Rose about 4 percent the same As in 1992, to the disappointment of fund raisers who expected More. Second Harvest the National network that supplies food Banks across the coun try ranked third at $431 million most of it in donations of food v the United jewish Appeal was fourth with $408 million followed by the Myca of the Usa $361 million american can cer society $359 million Catholic charities Usa $344 million american heart association $240 million Owca of the Usa $240 million and Public Broad casting service $230 million. The organizations that fared worst were United Way Down 6 percent per forming arts groups 5 percent and Jewr. Ish federations 4 percent the newspaper said. Insurance affects millions study says Washington a sixty million americans went without health insurance for at least one month in the Early ,1990s, with half spending six months or longer with no coverage the census Bureau said sunday. Nine million people went without insurance for the 32 months covered by the Survey from january 1990 to september1992.,. The Odds of having no insurance Rose dramatically for those who slipped in and out of poverty according to the report dynamics of economic Weil being. Health insurance 1990 to 1992. Seventy five percent of the Public never had a lapse in health coverage. The other 25 percent went at least one month without insurance Only 13 percent of those living above the poverty line had no insurance for a month or More. Thirty one percent of those who spent the whole tire in poverty had some period without insurance. But 48 percent of those who spent one to six months in poverty had no insurance at some Point and 68 percent of those who were poor for one to two years had a spell without health coverage. Bob Bennefield author of the census Bureau report said medicaid and private insurance seem to be meeting the needs of those in continual poverty and the non poor. But people at the margins particularly those who become poor Are More Likely to have lost their private health insurance and May not be qualified or ready to apply for government assistance Benne Field said. The new census study was based on a series of eight surveys of 21,900 House holds from 1990 to 1992. A separate Cen sus Survey earlier this year estimated that 39.3 million americans had no health in Siira Rice in 1993, about 15 percent of the Public. President Clinton tried and failed to persuade Congress this year to enact a Universal health insurance program built largely around compulsory coverage at work. Clinton argued that Lack of insurance was a growing problem for Many Middle class families. But Public concerns about losing health coverage have ebbed during the current economic recovery. With fewer americans on the unemployment line health Reform has faded As an Issue in the current congressional elections. The census report also found that Only 47 percent of Young adults Ages 18 to 24 were covered by insurance with no Breaks in coverage from 1990 to 1992. Continuous coverage was enjoyed by 81 percent of full time workers 78 per cent of part time workers and 62 percent of those who were Between jobs at some Point. \ half of All spells without health insurance lasted six months or longer that was almost two months longer than a similar group that the census Bureau tracked from 1987 to 89. Women were More Likely than men to stay covered 27 percent of men went without coverage for at least a month compared with 24 percent of women. The women were More Likely to live in poor families and to seek government help. Twenty one percent of Whites had a period without insurance compared with 36 percent of Blacks and 48 percent of hispanics. Booming business by the los Angeles times Kaiserslautern Germany although Liese Lotte Jaeckel has worked at the Karstadt department store Here for 18 years oct. 23 was the first time she had Ever Laboured on god s Day of rest. For four hours of cashiering that sunday Jaeckel received 2,5 times her Normal pay transportation costs and a Small bottle of sparkling wine a Token of management s appreciation. " and yet ill never do it again Jaeckel said. It Clear this is the first step toward sunday  sundays Are a Day of rest and recuperation in Ger Many a time for the family in a hard fought Union won 37.5-hour workweek in which stores close at 6 30 . On four weekdays 8 30 . On thursday and 2 . On most saturdays. But Kaiserslautern has joined a growing number of German towns Chipping away at that tradition via a loophole in the country s strict Law on store hours that the 74-year-old Sears Roebuck and co. Merchandise building demolition explosion knocked the six Story building and its 14 in Northeast Philadelphia buckles sunday As explosives Dumol Story clock Tower to the ground to make Way for a shopping Cen ish the building. What was described As the world s largest Ter. About 50,000 spectators clapped and cheered. Fest wafers for sunday openings prohibits sunday shopping. The Law says a Community May open stores up to four times a year in connection with a local fair or festival. The results Are of course mixed. Customers Are Happy workers Are angry and the Union is suing the City. Kaiserslautern is in the Western state of Rheinland Pfalz which once had a Central administration to which communities could4pply to open on special sundays. The larger cities in the state had an unwritten agreement never to do so. As Long As stores stayed closed none had to worry about losing business to the Competition. Thus businesses could avoid overtime. But authority to decide on sunday shopping was Given Over to the communities and in the Middle of a recession last year social democratic mayor Gerhard Piontek and the Kaiserslautern retailers group decide to try it. The City of 100,000 has 15 percent unemployment and loses customers to larger municipalities of Mannheim Karlsruhe and Mainz. Big department stores did not join in last year. But when they saw the huge sunday crowds they also saw. The writing on the Wall. This year they opted to open. German workers fear an expansion of their workweek and because management is always trying to Cut labor costs believe no new employees would be hired if shopping hours were lengthened. Union representatives and even Many retailers insist that German shoppers stick to a fixed budget do not buy on credit and do not spend More Money when shops Are open longer. So Why do so if you Wake up a demand in the customer he will have this demand in the future said Hermann Hein Rich Karstadt s Union Leader. But the demand it seems is already there. Sunday shopping is great said Karin Persau a working Mother who normally juggles shopping on he lunch hour