The White Falcon - 01.12.1995, Blaðsíða 1

Vol. 54 No. 48 December 1, 1995
Serving the joint service community since 1941
World AIDS Day commemorated
By JOl Kevin A. Mills
World AIDS Day is being celebrated today in 190 countries
around the globe. The theme for the eighth observance is
“Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities.”
“This year’s theme highlights the importance of our attention
to not only the rights of those infected with HIV, but also the
responsibilities we all must accept as we deal with the social, cul-
tural, economic and psychological implications of the pandem-
ic,” notes Richard L. Wittenberg, American Association for
World Health president and chief executive officer.
World AIDS Day serves to strengthen the global effort to face
the challenges of the AIDS pandemic that continues to spread in
all regions of the world. This organized effort is designed to
encourage public support for and development of programs to
prevent the spread of HIV infection and to provide education
and awareness of issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.
The World Health Organization estimates that around 18.5
Million adults and 1.5 million children around the world have
Blen infected with HIV since the start of the pandemic. In the
United States, the Centers for Disease Control estimates that
one in every 250 people is infected with the virus.
“Only concerted efforts in education, prevention and care will
enable us to move forward in fighting this pandemic,” says
Wittenberg.
What is World AIDS Day all about?
Working together to fight discrimination
Organizing effective activities within your community
Responding to the needs of those infected with HIV/AIDS
Listening to each other’s thoughts and feelings about
HIV/AIDS issues
Delivering messages of compassion and hope to those affected
by HIV/AIDS
Aggressively promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and education
Implementing HIV/AIDS prevention programs in our commu-
nities
Directing parents and educators to promote safer sex in their
prevention efforts
Strengthening the worldwide effort to stop the spread of
HIV/AIDS
Disseminating helpful information
Actively protecting the human rights of those infected with
HIV/AIDS
Yes - Sharing rights and sharing responsibilities!
DoD establishes kronur exchange rate
w
Submitted by Merchants National
Bank and Trust Company
Many of you may wonder how the
Community Bank on base establishes the
rate it will charge to buy and sell Icelandic
kronur and other currencies and why the
repurchase rates are always higher.
The Community Bank, operated by
Merchants National Bank, is managed for
the DoD on a fixed-fee contract. This
means that any profit made or losses suf-
fered by the bank are either paid to, or
borne by, the DoD. For this reason, it is
the DoD that establishes the contract
fees, charges and business conditions
jmder which the Communtiy Bank oper-
es.
In the contract, the DoD directs that
the rates shall be adjusted to create an
average income factor of 2.5 percent
when selling or purchasing kronur and
other foreign currencies. This income off-
sets the costs in providing this important
service. The primary cost is the tellers
selling the kronur. It is also a source of
revenue for the DoD to enable it to con-
tinue to provide military banking facilities
around the world.
The Community Bank purchases
kronur and other currencies from the
Central Bank of Iceland and the National
Bank of Iceland, which in turn determines
what rate is used when selling to and buy-
ing back these currencies from you.
At first glance, the local Icelandic banks
look like they give a better rate than the
Community Bank. However, the
Icelandic banks normally charge a per-
transaction fee, regardless of how much
you buy. The Community Bank’s rates
include all fees where cash-for-kronur and
other transactions are involved.
If you find it difficult to work out how
much kronur you need, call the
Community Bank at ext. 4625 or 6469 for
more information.
50 years ago in
The White Falcon
... A seldom-seen ribbon is cropping up nowadays on soldiers
parading on Broadway. It’s the Rhineland Occupation Ribbon,
awarded for service in Germany following World War I. Some
of the present wearers of the ribbon had not even been born
during that occupation.
Icelandic Corner
Santa Claus
Jolasveinn
(Yo-la-svaydn)