BY HARRY RING
Ingrates - A poll found that East Germans "are most angry about unemployment... most upset about social welfare cuts. They are no longer satisfied with earning salaries 20 percent lower than western counterparts."

Sound familiar? - "British troops in the Gulf were exposed to large quantities of dangerous pesticides, which were almost certainly one of the causes of the mysterious illnesses afflicting hundreds of veterans, the Ministry of Defense admitted." - The British Guardian .

The healthy society - A medical survey found that 37 million U.S. people have no medical insurance. As a result, 20 million of these suffered health and/or financial problems.

Medical imperialism? - "Industry has certainly approached international market as a normal part of their operations and so why shouldn't hospitals," argues Peter Van Etten, president of Stanford Medical Center, which is building an imaging center in Singapore. It will do CAT scans and mammograms and refer patients to the Palo Alto hospital complex.

Double whammy - We reported that Iowa Republicans rapped the 4-H clubs for heading toward socialism (They gave contest ribbons to all participants instead of to winners.) Now we learn that a 4-H goals statement failed to mention "free enterprise" or "work ethic." Also, they were seen as promoting homosexuality. Some high schoolers had requested workshops on alternate life styles.

Shrinking institution - In the past 25 years, Britain's marriage rate has dropped more than 50 percent, a study found, and "traditional" marriages are no longer the norm. This is attributed to a growth of "individualism" and an increasing exercise of choice on how to live.

No more `Until death do us part' - The Heirloom Pendant Collection - as featured at the National Funeral Directors convention - offers white or yellow gold pendants, with diamonds, to stash a bit of the ashes, or a lock of hair, of a dearly departed. From $1,900 to $10,000.

He must really work hard - In London, Christian Aid estimated that a Chinese Nike worker would have to put in nine hours a day, six days a week for 15 centuries to earn the $1.5 million pocketed last year by UK Nike boss Phil Knight.

Losing faith? - Yvonne Morabito, a financial astrologer, advises that the movements of Pluto and Neptune suggest that a rising dollar will draw overseas investors to U.S. stocks. But, counters Bloomberg Business News, pending developments "may bring investors down to earth.... A slowing economy and a fear of stock market heights could curb the market's gains."  
 
 
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