At a Dime a Time, Stocks a Tough Sell

Sudan opened its own stock exchange in January.

A progress report is in order:

It is open one hour a day.

Its transactions average $10, giving the broker a 10-centcommission.

It lists 29 companies - but nearly half have yet to be traded.

"Perhaps the climate is a little adverse for the whole launchingof an exchange," said Chairman Abdul-Rahim Hamdi. They're Not Worth a Pretty Penny A few thoughts for yourpennies:

A month ago QT shared the story of the 1995 "double-die" penny.Experts said as many as 600,000 of the coins were minted withslightly blurred words - and each is worth $100 or so.

People have called QT almost daily to say they've found suchpennies - and to ask what they should do.

There are two answers to this question.

1. Take them to a coin dealer.

2. Don't get your hopes up.

"A lot of people think they have them - but they don't," saidJan Marchese of James & Sons Ltd. coin dealers. "The pennies aresurfacing in Baltimore, in parts of New Jersey, a few other places.Not here. I don't know of a single one."

Neither did other coin dealers in the Chicago area.

"The coin also has to be in extremely good condition - and bythat I mean not so much as a fingerprint - to fetch its price," shesaid.

But if you really, really, really think you have one, Marchesesaid, the only place to go is a coin dealer - but "make sure thedealer does free appraisals." Speaking of Swagmen . . .

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,

Under the shade of a collibah tree . . .

This week marks the 100th anniversary of "Waltzing Matilda."

You've doubtless heard it sung and wondered what a swagman was -and a billabong and a jumbuck and a tucker bag.

You've probably wondered what any of it meant.

OK.

A swagman is a hobo, a billabong is the flood pool of a river, ajumbuck is a lamb and a tucker-bag is a food bag.

And what happens is the swagman steals a jumbuck, stuffs it inhis tucker bag, and jumps in the billabong and drowns to keep frombeing nabbed by the cops.

All of it happens in the shade of the collibah tree, which is akind of eucalyptus.

There. Now you know. No Longer Sleepless in Osaka

Japanese businessmen, who work day and night with only theoccasional karaoke break, have found a new way to get some rest.

It is called a nap hotel.

Teruo Shibata hit on the idea when a yawning colleague asked inan elevator: "Is there anywhere I can take a nap?"

Shibata, 34, soon opened his nap hotel in an office building inOsaka.

There are nine small mountaineering tents and five deck chairs.The cost is $3.25 for a half-hour in the tents, $2.15 for the same onthe chairs.

Shibata says business is good.

If one of these things ever opens in Chicago, you'll know whereto find QT. As Anti-Terrorist Kit, It's a Start

Paramedics always carry atropine, which helps people with heartattacks.

But New York City paramedics have now upped the amount in theirkit bags from 4 to 52 milligrams.

It seems atropine is also an antidote to sarin, the nerve gasthat felled thousands in Tokyo last month.

"We said theoretically this could happen here," a spokesmansaid.

In Chicago, the paramedics carry atropine, too. No new ordersyet, although the Fire Department is taking a look.

The CTA is also mulling new security measures.

"Of course, the public would be the last to know about any planswe did come up with," said Robert Dart, CTA security chief.

Contributing: Associated Press, Reuters