Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 16, 1995 TAG: 9502160044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: AY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
P.M., Huddleston
A: The exchange rate can't be predicted, especially for tourists traveling two weeks from now. Unforeseeable events can send the peso's value up or down.
Also, being on a cruise ship will make it hard to shop for the best local exchange rate.
Land-based travelers usually need a couple of days to scope out the exchange market in Caribbean countries, and your ship may not stay in one port that long.
Shops and street vendors that sell to cruise passengers are eager to accept U.S. dollars right now; good bargaining on prices might be your best strategy.
It would help to know the current exchange rate, but that varies day to day.
Last Thursday, the interbank rate in the currency market was 5.55 pesos to $1; in Roanoke that day, First Union offered travelers 4.93 pesos for $1.
Monday, the interbank rate was 5.65 to $1.
First Union had been sold out of pesos all week but expected to have a new supply today, at a rate of 4.54 for $1.
When a currency is volatile, the gap between interbank and tourist rates gets wider.
Gasping for air
Q: I know it's against the law for customers to smoke in cashier lines in stores, but does this law apply to the clerks? In a couple of convenience stores, the employees behind the counter smoke, and I can't breathe around them. I've stopped frequenting those places.
J.S., Salem
A: Virginia's Indoor Clean Air Act says "Smoking shall be prohibited in ... indoor service lines and cashier lines."
Whether that prohibition applies to people working behind the counter depends on the judge who hears a given case.
Anne Morrow Donley, executive director of the Virginia Group to Alleviate Smoking in Public, said legislators who passed this law intended for it to include everyone on either side of the counter.
Anthony Troy, a lobbyist for the Tobacco Institute, said the interpretation is up to the judge. Donley agreed but said some rulings have gone in favor of the complaining customers.
The Indoor Clean Air Act (15.1-291 in the state code) deals with smoking in public places, including stores and restaurants.
Most establishments comply with it, primarily because of possible lawsuits. Enforcement by police or public health authorities isn't provided in the state code.
Localities are allowed to designate an enforcement agency. Roanoke County is the only Roanoke Valley government that has done so, allowing police officers to issue summonses under its county smoking policy - which doesn't address smoking in service lines.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Give us a call at 981-3118. Maybe we can find the answer.
by CNB