Their Home Is Sarah-Proofed STEVE STEIN STAFF WRITER C indy Schoenbart of Oak Park calls her 2-year-old daughter, Sarah, a "fe- male Dennis the Menace. She's really something." Ms. Schoenbart and her hus- band, Barry, have two other young children— Rachel, 8, and Jennifer, 5 — so there's never a dull moment in their home. That's why the Schoenbarts have taken many steps to child- proof their house. "Being a Jewish mother, I guess I might go a little over- board protecting my children at times, but I think it's very im- portant to have safety measures in place at home," Ms. Schoen- bart said. Ms. Schoenbart says when speci ally compiled by The Jerusalem Post — she hears stories about a local youngster who painted his teeth with red nail polish and anoth- er who cut off one of her two pig- tails, she becomes more determined to make sure no Shampoos and soaps are out of harm's way. such accidents are going to hap- pen in her house. Sometimes Sarah drives home the point, too. Last sum- mer, the toddler opened the front screen door and took a step or two onto the porch before she was corralled by Ms. Schoen- bart. Now there are hooks on both the front and back screen doors. The Schoenbart home also has gates, plugs covering the electrical outlets, locks on the kitchen cabinets and shortened window blinds with the chains set high over the floor. Sham- poos and soaps are out of harm's way and so is the blowdryer. "When I take something out of the oven, I tell Sarah to go get me something so she's not around," Ms. Schoenbart said. "It's a good idea for parents to get to the child's eye level and see what they see. Then you know what you need to do to make your home safe." ❑ Free Tax Advice CPAs answer questions from callers across the state. STEVE STEIN STAFF WRITER I ISRAEL DIGEST n these final hectic weeks before the Saturday, April 15, tax filing deadline, certified public ac- countants (CPAs) don't have much free time. But approximately 65 CPAs from the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants (MAC- PA) are making time to take part in the eighth an- nual "Ask-a-CPA Call-in Days" program. Some 600 taxpayers are expected to call the ser- vice during three one-day sessions scheduled in February and March. Marilyn Natchez, tax manager of Morof Shep- low Weinstein certified public accountants and con- sultants in Farmington Hills, took part in the program last month, spending two hours on the phone with taxpayers. This was her third year of Marilyn Natchez: participation, and she once Helping out those again found it rewarding. who can't afford to "It's a wonderful service hire a CPA. because we're helping peo- ple who probably can't afford to hire a CPA," Ms. Natchez said. "Sometimes you get a tug at your heart when you hear these people's stories. "I think I talked to about 20 people on the phone last month and spent a maximum of five minutes with each of them." Ms. Natchez said she was asked more Michi- gan tax questions than in previous years, es- pecially about the homestead property tax credit, but she's finding that callers are be- coming better informed about tax laws each year. Probably the strangest call Ms. Natchez has had during a call-in day was last year from an ostrich farmer. The farmer wanted to know about depreciation of his inventory ... yes, in- cluding the ostriches. 11 The final "Ask-a-CPA Call-In Day" for 1995 is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 25. The number is (810) 855-8200. $1 EQUALS 2.8630 NIS (shekels) - Close Price 1W15/93 Low Index Rise Is Deceiving January's deceptively low Con- Capital Holdings' chief econo- sinner Price Index rise of 0.2 mist Jonathan Katz. percent in Israel was skewed Even though fruit and veg- downward by significant sea- etable prices fell a steep 10.5 sonal drops in fruit, vegetable, percent and clothing and clothing and footwear prices, footwear prices dropped 5.4 per- hiding substantial increases in cent, the index rose 1.2 percent all other index categories. when these seasonal factors are "If January's index is a pre- excluded, said Central Bureau view of what is to come, then of Statistics price division di- we are back to last year's 14 rector Rahamim Ozama, percent rate of inflation," said Snip! Interest Rates Are Cut Bank of Israel Governor Jacob Frenkel announced a 0.7 per- cent cut to interest rates fol- lowing strong pressure from the Treasury and the private sec- tor. "After a long period of rate rises that were intended to fight determinedly against inflation, the Bank of Israel's policy of monetary restraint has begun to bear fruit," Mr. Frenkel said. It is the first reduction in rates since August 1993. This Deal Is From The Heart A strategic alliance has been ormed between a California company and Aerotel Ltd. a 10-year-old Israeli firm which markets Israeli electrocardio- gram monitors that transmit results over the telephone. CompuMed Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., an- nounced the creation of the new venture. According to financial ex- perts, the current worldwide market for cardiac telemedicine products totals more than $200 million a year, with an annu- al growth rate of 5 percent. But Rod Rayn.ovich-;,Com- puMed's president and chief ex- ecutive officer, said there is still a huge, untapped potential for remote cardiac assessment. According to the contract, CompuMed will receive Aero- tel's ECG monitors that have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Adminis- tration along with software and technical support. In exchange, J.M. & Associ- ates — Aerotel's exclusive agent — will receive 400,000 CompuMed shares. Tella-Com To Fill U.S. Army Order Tella-Com, a Tadiran sub- sidiary in the United States, will manufacture military com- munications equipment valued at $62.5 million for the U.S. Army, the Israeli company announced to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Tadiran said U.S.-based General Dynamics has decid- ed to award Tella-Com 50 per- cent of a $125 million order it received from the U.S. Army. Merrill Lynch Gets The Nod Merrill Lynch has been chosen to manage and coordinate Bezek's upcoming internation- al issue, the Israel Government Companies Authority an- nounced. The government is planning to sell 26 percent of Bezek in June, mostly through an inter- national issue. A small portion of the shares will be offered to Bezek employees. Tiffany's Comes To Israel Amirel has received an exclu- sive franchise to sell Tiffany's jewelry and gift products in Israel. Tiffany's products will be on display for the first time at the start of April. Amirel plans to set up a chain of shop this year which will sell th items.