European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 21, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes Money matters monday. November 21,1994 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 1.61 dutch Guilder 1.70 German Mark 1.52 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. 10.941 Bahrain Dinar. 0.37675 belgian franc .32.07british Pound. 1.5698 Canadian Dollar. 1.366danish Krone. 6.0805 dutch Guilder. 1.746 French franc 5.3385 German Mark. 1.5545 greek drachma. 239.96 italian lira .1,592.75 Kuwait Dinar. 0.2989 norwegian Krone. 6.8132 portuguese escudo. 158.70 saudi rial. 3.7507 Spanish peseta. 129.53swiss franc. 1.3143 turkish lira. 35,900.00 note figures Are expressed in Doram to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $385.23 an ounce Silver quote $5.23 an ounce sources merchants National Bank & Trust co. And the associated press Etc targeting bogus schemes to fix bad credit Washington a the Federal Trade commission is cracking Down on bogus credit repair clinics that bilk Consumers by promising a Quick fix for credit problems. Etc chairman Janet Steiger said such companies charge anywhere from $50 to $1,000, promising to remove negative in formation from their records or to obtain for them some other form of credit. In reality those firms can do neither and Consumers desperate for Money lose More dollars in the process Steiger said last week. Credit repair clinics prey upon con Sumers who Are desperate to improve their credit history charging them hundreds and sometimes even thousands of dollars she said. Unfortunately their false claims raise false Hopes and Only further deplete their victims often limited  Steiger said the Agency was broadening its Effort against credit repair fraud by enlisting the Aid of state attorneys Gener Al credit Bureau representatives and Public interest and Trade groups. Their first meeting was last week. The Effort also will include new con Sumer education programs. Steiger also announced a settlement with a company that advertised on the America online computer service Mark ing the Agency s first action involving the information superhighway. Private companies known As credit bureaus Monitor an individual s credit his tory by collecting information reported by Banks mortgage companies depart ment stores and other creditors. The fair credit reporting act allows them to keep the information on file for seven years provided it is accurate. That information cannot be erased before then. Bankruptcies can be recorded for10 years. The Law allows Consumers to Correct inaccuracies or information More than 7 years old at almost no Cost. Many con Sumers Are unaware of the Law and its provisions Steiger said. By newday the mighty morphine Power rangers Are expected to take the Holiday shopping season by storm this year but they might have a manpower shortage at the to stores \ the fighting hand held teen age action figures four males and two females have Little trouble defeating Rita repulse the Empress of evil on the mighty morphine Power rangers to show. But shoppers and merchants alike Are Wor ried that the Supply of dolls will be spread too thinly to. Satisfy All their 4 to 11 year old admirers. There Are plenty of other must have toys readily available As the Peak retail season approaches. Hot Sellers Are expected to include the Ever popular bar Bie dolls video games and some new toys including Parker Bros Elevun in which children with nets try to catch butterflies coming out of a plastic elephant s trunk. And there s always i Joe ,. Toy retailers Are very optimistic this year said Debra Joester president of Hamilton projects a new York based company that follows toy Industry trends. There s a Little More Money in the econ omy this year v _ the big worry about the Power rang ers in t an Idle concern. I it s our biggest Hope they will be available said Carol Fuller a spokeswoman for toys a us the nation s largest toy store Chain. As Many As they can j we can  Nyta shopper in new York City looks Over a Barney stuffed animal but sales of the plump purple Dinosaur Are being overpowered this year by rival toys. Last year Barney the Dinosaur Mer Chandise was among the hottest Selling items. Toy buyers underestimated the popularity of the then new Power rang ers and did t order enough. Sales of the figures totalled about $15 million from the time of their introduction last fall through the end of the year. But As the action figures take Barney s place As the most popular toys in stores this year they Are expected to reach at least $250 Mil lion for All of 1994, analysts said. The Power Ranger dolls Cost from $2 for a tiny figure to $75 for the mighty shuttle Zord a big robot like Power Ranger. Some of the Market for action figures could be captured by playmate s Skeleton warriors As Well As a new line called spawn a prehistoric figure based on a comic Book character. Traditional favor ites include a men and spider men both by toy Biz and Batman by Kenner. Fao Schwarz the landmark toy retailer in new York City is touting a $70 Sil ver screen Barbie which it says is a trib Ute to the legendary movie stars of the 1930s. That is far from Fao s most expensive item this year. A Michael Graves doll House modelled after a tuscan Villa and handcrafted for Fao costs $2,700. Don t feel like shelling out that much Milton Bradley s new Gator Golf a miniature Golf game for kids 4 and up is expected to be a big seller at about $20. For the even younger set plays Kool s Cool tools Power Workbench goes for $30, and its $40 magic smoking Grill Simu lates a backyard Barbecue. Analysts expect both to be big Sellers As Well As any of the stuffed animals based on the Dis Ney hit the lion King. Among Board games Milton Bradley Snew 13 dead end drive in which players try to Lay claim to aunt Agatha s Fortune by bumping off their opponents is seen As a Likely big seller. It s for Ages 9 and up and Sells for $17. Other expected big Sellers Are video games such As mortal combat ii and Aba Jam both by acclaim entertain ment inc. Doom ii by it interactive software and Nintendo s Donkey Kong country. Cd rom games should grow in popu Larity analysts said with Broder bund software s myst a surrealistic game of adventure leading the Way. For Christmas of 4 in play Koo cootoot9 a a a play Kooi 9 magic \ smoking Grin \ i Uon Xing 9tufted animals video game such As mortal combat to Aba Jam doom h and Donkey Kong country some toys Are nothing to play with Washington a Philip Jasper thought he and his wife had done the right thing when their son got a Lawn Dis Cus game As a birthday present in 1989. The fort Myers fla., couple read the instructions and told the birthday boy 9-year-old Jeremy and his older brother Dean How to play the game. But the discus did t strike the in tended target when Dean threw it. Instead it struck Jeremy in the face costing him his right Eye. People assume everything s of when they buy toys Jasper said. Consumer advocates say toys can be dangerous when used correctly and deadly when they Are not. As the Holiday shopping season approaches they issued an annual warning last week to shoppers urging them to be cautious when selecting toys for to to. Some 165,400 toy related injuries to adults and children needed emergency Hospital care last year and 25 children died according to the Institute for injury reduction s annual toy safety report parents and other gift givers should examine toys for four things Small parts that can choke. Strings longer than 7 inches that can strangle. Sharp edges that can Cut. Toys that shoot piercing  should also look for warning la Bels and age recommendations. We clearly have a serious problem Institute president Ben Kelley said at a news conference. The Institute s list of unsafe toys names some with Small parts that can choke or strangle a child some that can Burn or drown children and others that can cause serious flesh injuries. Jodi Levin spokeswoman for the toy manufacturers of America said the Trade association s members follow government safety standards As Well As its own voluntary guidelines. The group does not defend bad toys she said. But it s important for parents to knowhow hard the government and the Indus try Are working Levin said. The Federal consumer product safety commission is charged with keeping dangerous toys and other harmful products off store shelves. But it has struggled to keep Pace in recent years because of cuts in budget and staff. It is expected to Issue its own toy warn Ings by month s end. Starting next year manufacturers will be required to Paft safety warnings on toys with Small parts