European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 15, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 18 the stars and stripes Money matters tuesday november 15.1994 today s rates following Are fixed rates a which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use British Pound. 1.63dutch Guilder. 1.69 Gorman Mark. 1.50 not the rates Abov apply within the hos country. Figures Art express in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar following Are Interbank rate that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies. Austrian icel Llang .10.8640 Bahrain Dinar. 0.37692 belgian franc .31.875 British Pound. 1.5885canadian Dollar. 1.3577 danish Krona. 6.0310 dutch Guilder. 1.7295french franc. 5.2880 German Mark. 1.5415 greek drachma. 235.30 italian lira. 1,587.40 Kuwait Dinar. 0.29870 norwegian Krone. 8.7366portuguese escudo. 157.45saulli rial. 3.7505 Spanish peseta. 12841 Swiss franc of. 1940turkish lira. 30,420.00 note figures Are expressed in Dollart to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar now quote $384.90 an ounce Silver quote 15.14 an ounce sources merchants National Bank a Trust  the associated press Woolworth slashing hundreds of positions Milwaukee a to Shvorth corp. Said it plans to eliminate 330 of the 580 jobs at its Central accounting office i Milwaukee. About 70 of the people affected by the cuts will be offered jobs at a Woolworth office in Camp Hill pa., but the rest will be Laid off the company said. The new York based retailer told it employees at the Milwaukee office that general merchandise accounting activities and certain computer programming functions will be moved to the Camp Hill facility. Most of the Job terminations will occur next summer said Vic Brunig director of management information services atthe Milwaukee office. Third Quarter profits take off for Lufthansa Frankfurt Germany a by cutting jobs and limiting wages Lufthansa has boosted productivity pushing up third Quarter profits by 50 percent Over last year to 220 million German Marks $147.7 Millionth airline company . Lufthansa predicted that by the end of 1994, it would be Able to Post its first full year profit in four years. As part of a restructuring plan begun in 1989, Lufthansa last year trimmed its work Force by 8.1 percent. $2 big lion reportedly set up by Geraldine Fabrikant new York times the Walt Disney co. Is close to approving the investment of As much As $2 billion to expand Disney world it theme Park in Orlando fla., a person close to the company said sunday. In considering the expansion Disney is trying to address two problems a general slide in attendance at Disney world inthe last few years and increasing Competition from another Orlando theme  studios Florida owned by Mca. A a  a Mca is planning to add 4,000 hotel rooms at Universal studios. Disney executives have been trying to decide whether one or More additional attractions at Disney world would draw new visitors or simply steal customer from other attractions at Disney world. Disney world which opened in 1971, has three components the magic kingdom Epcot Center and Disney Mem studios. The investment under consideration would include More than $750 million to develop a fourth component tentatively called animal kingdom. If the plan goes ahead animal kingdom featuring Ani Mals from Asia and Africa As Well As rides would be built on 500 acres and open in 1998 or 1999. The Ori Andun Sentinel in an article sunday discussing Disney s plans said the company would also open a water Park called blizzard Beach and possibly build an additional three hotels. The Sentinel said the number of Visi tors to Disney world had declined by Al most 5 million a year to 28.9 million this year from a Peak of 33.7 million fou years ago. Some inside and outside the company the Sentinel said suggested that Many vacationers found Disney too expensive noting that a single Day adult admission ticket to the magic kingdom had in creased to $38 from $18 a decade ago. In addition to Disney world the com Pany operates Disneyland its first them Park which opened in 1955 arid is in an Aheim calif., and euro Disney a Park outside Paris in which it owns 49 percent. Euro Disney which opened in 1992, has been a Money loser never generating the anticipated crowds. Arambu give Gay a trip to the future Sofia Vanhuyse prepares to take a ride on a Mobile suitcase during the Brussels Eureka inventors show in Belgium. The suitcase invented by belgian Luc Deprez has an electric motor and transports the passenger and whatever items Are packed inside the Case. It can run for 90 min utes without a recharge. Los Angeles a Paramount pictures has announced that it will extend medical and dental Bene fits to the same sex Domestic partners of company envy Moyees beginning with the new year. The decision places Paramount among a growing number of entertainment companies that offer such benefits to Gay and lesbian employees. Paramount pictures was acquired this year by Viacom inc., Parent company of the mtg Nickelodeon and Showtime Cable networks. Viacom already had a policy of offering medical and dental benefits to same sex partners of employees. Universal was the first studio to extend health cover age to Samc sex partners of employees followed by Warner Bros and just two months ago Sony pictures which includes the Columbia and Tri Star studios. That leaves the Fox and Disney studios As the Only major studios not offering benefits to the partners of Gay employees. Richard Jennings executive director of Hollywood supports a group that lobbies for workplace rights for homosexuals said he expects Disney and Fox to con form soon to what has become an Industry Standard. A we know they re both working on it Jennings  think Disney s getting very  Hollywood supports has provided a Model benefits agreement used by 14 companies in the Industry so far Jennings said. Smaller companies to adopt the Standard include ticketmaster and entertainment radio net work. Jennings said he believes entertainment unions also will soon offer such benefits beginning with the writers Guild of America. High tech companies have been leaders in providing benefits to same sex Domestic partners. Apple computer Microsoft Borland International and Lotus development Are among those doing so the Cost of providing these benefits typically is Low for the More than 160 companies that have made the available. A study by Stanford University in California showed that 0.3 percent to 0.7 percent of a company employees Are Likely to elect for the coverage and Jennings said the percentage in Hollywood is even lower. Reasons for the Low usage include the fact that the Benefit is taxable Gay partners typically can get cover age cheaper through their own jobs and some employees Are reluctant to acknowledge their homosexuality. Britain betting lottery will raise tons of pounds w it pvt / a r \ t m m. I i ,._. V. London a Britain on monday launched its first National lottery this Century which is intended to raise 1 billion pounds $1.6 billion a year for charities sports arts and heritage projects. A fireworks display exploded Over the Tower of Lon Don the capital s 900-year-old fortress As lottery tick ets costing a Pound $1.65 each went on Sale at 10,000 stores Post offices and other outlets around the coun try. Prime minister John major told guests at a Tower party to launch the lottery the country As a whole will be Richer because of the lottery. It is in every sense people s  National lotteries were used in the 18th and 19th centuries to raise Money for the British museum another causes. But this Century Britain until now declined to follow Spain Ireland and Many other countries and have a National lottery. The first draw for the lottery will take place sat a top prize of about 2 million pounds $3.3 Odds against winning the big one Are calculated at 14 miliion-to-1, but there also Are thousands of easier to we smaller Cash prizes starting from 10 pounds $16.5. Up. Ponze will be shared equally if More than one person holds the winning combination of numbers. Each lottery ticket purchaser will be asked to choose of a Milu $ set num feers Between one and 49,which will be fed into a computer network