European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Beware of bad tempered clerks  recent reports of attacks on tourist shoppers by bad tempered sales personnel in Singapore has prompted tourist authorities to blacklist some shopping complexes Media reports said recently. A spate of complaints ranging from rudeness to aggression has prompted the Singapore tourist promotion Board to Issue a warning to the Lucky Plaza and far East Plaza shopping centers. The two complexes Are located in the downtown Orchard Road District a Central Point for tourists in the so called shoppers Paradise As Singapore has come to be known. The Board said it might remove the names of the centers from brochures of recommended establishments if complaints continued. Straits times reporters who recently posed As customers in stores specializing in electronics reported a series of  report said that while the police could and would intervene a As they have done a in cases of assault they had no authority to Deal with rudeness or abuse. The Consumers association of Singapore suggested tourists receive a list of places to avoid. Senior executive Albert Tan said centers with a history of complaints could be left on such lists until they improved their image. Quot it is like ice hockey. If a player indulges in rough play he is sent to a Box where he sits before the fans. It is not just a penalty. It is also to give him time to Cool off and reflect on the consequences of his actions Quot Tan said. New ins scanner could by Elizabeth Wissner Gross new Day imports soon the Speed with which you Clear Airport immigration could be left in your own hands. The . Immigration and naturalization service is testing a new device that scans travellers hands and whisks them through in six seconds. The six month Pilot program testing the Quot Insp ass Quot biometric system started in March and is limited initially to 50,000 travellers. Frequent travellers those who go abroad at least three times a year and citizens of 23 other countries Are eligible. Participants get a plastic card containing data on hand and Finger dimensions no fingerprints or Palm lines. To pass through immigration they put their card into an ins pass american express opens travel from wire reports american express has opened a travel service office in Leipzig Germany bringing the number of its offices in former Eastern european states to 25. The company also has offices in Berlin and Dresden in Eastern Germany. The Leipzig Bureau is in the hotel Astoria across from the City s main Railroad station. It is open 9 30 . To 5 . On weekdays and from 9 . To noon on saturday. This year the company has established offices in Prague St Petersburg Tirana Albania Vilnius Lithuania and Riga Latvia. Leipzig is one of four cities in the former East Germany a the others Are Berlin Dresden and Erfurt a that Are the subject of new color maps that Avis is giving to Drivers of its rental cars in Eastern Germany. Each map is 8 i by 11 i inches. On one Side is the City with major avenues landmarks and tourist attractions the reverse Side of the Sheet shows the surrounding area. Floating hotel off russian City a Commodore cruise ship the enchanted Isle will be converted into a floating hotel in Russia this summer. Starting in june the 731-passenger ship will be permanently docked on the Neva River in downtown St. Petersburg. Renamed the Commodore hotel it will offer 375 rooms and six suites starting at $140 a person a night the ship built for Moore Mccormack lines and launched in 1958 As the Argentina has a Long history of conversions. She sailed three times As the Venedam for Holland America and was also the Brazil the roundabout Monarch Star the Edam and the Bermuda Star. The ship will undergo Only a few modifications according to a representative of eff John International which is Commodore s Parent company. The hotel will be operated by Baltic lines another eff John subsidiary. Darmstadt Frankfurt pass the City of Darmstadt Germany is offering a new lower Cost monthly pass for people who commute to Frankfurt the new pass called a Mona Smarke costs Only 15 Marks. This is a 35-Mark savings Over the old version. The pass is valid for Darmstadt s whole Public transportation network. In order to Purchase the pass commuters must posses a valid Zei Karte from the few the Frankfurt regional transportation authority. A one month Zei Karte costs 100 Marks the same As last year. The Darmstadt pass is also available in weekly and annual versions. A one week pass costs 6 Marks and a one year pass costs 185 Marks. The Darmstadt passes Are available from offices of. The Darmstadt Public transportation authority head. Code for skiers Lousy skiers beware resorts in Italy May not have sympathy for clumsiness. Quot the italian government is working on a code for Alpine skiers that includes fines and jail sentences for improper skiing behaviour Quot according to passport a travel newsletter. What is Quot improper behaviour Quot Quot moving too fast in poor visibility and not giving Way Slot and their hand into a scanner. Cards will initially be offered Only from new York s John f. Kehnedy and Newark n.j., airports. The system created by computer data systems inc. Of Rockville md., is designed for eventual use in other countries too but the United states is the first to try it. In addition a new passport office in Washington is expected to Cut processing time in half from four weeks to two. Office in Leipzig to traffic from the right at Crossroads Quot Are among the transgressions cited in the february edition of the newsletter. New embassies in Baltic the United states embassies in Vilnius Lithuania Riga Latvia and Tallinn Estonia have moved into permanent facilities and can provide a limited Range of consular services including emergency assistance to american citizens the upgraded status of the embassies which were opened when the three countries became Independent in 1991, was announced in travel advisories issued by the state department the advisories also said that the three Baltic states have established a reciprocal visa policy under which a valid visa for any of the three will be accepted for admission to All. Visas May be obtained at the lithuanian and latvian embassies in Washington and the estonian consulate in new York. Lithuanian visas May also be obtained free on arrival at Vilnius Airport but they Are valid for Only 10 Days and require a visit to the local ministry of foreign affairs in order to extend them. Visas for the russian Republic cannot be obtained in the three states. Travellers visiting Russia or any of the other former soviet republics except Ukraine need russian visas which should be obtained at the russian embassy in Washington or at a russian embassy in another country. Visas for the former republics Are not available on trains. The train from Riga to Warsaw crosses the territory of Belarus and the department says that passengers without russian visas have been removed from the train and sent out of Belarus clothing a conversion Tabu v children a amp Junior misses dresses Coats United states 2 4 6 8 10 13 15 Europe 12 5 7 9 10 12 women a blouses sweaters of United state 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 Germany 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 great Britain 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 Italy 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 women s dresses Coats United state 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 great Britain. 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 Europe 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 women s shoes United states 4 5 6 7 6 9 10 11 Germany 34 35 36 38 39 40 41 42 great Britain 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 France 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Italy 32 34 36 37 38 40 41 42 men s shirts . And Britain 14 14vi 15 15v15y� 16 16vi Europe 36 37 30 39 40 41 42 men s suits . End Britain 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 Europe 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 men s shoes United state 6v4 7 i 8vi 9vi Lover 11 v&-12v4 great Britain 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Europe 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 men s socks . Arid Britain 9 i 10 Lovi 11 11vj 12 i Europe 38-39 39-40 40-41 41-42 42-43 43-44 % Miles per hour conversion Tabu Mollat him 1.6 3 2 4 3 6.4 8.0 9.7 11.3 12 9 14.5 10 16.1 17.7 19.3 20.9 22.3 24.1 25.7 27.4 29.0 30.6 20 32.2 33.8 35 4 37.0 38.6 40.2 41.8 43 5 45 1 40.7 30 48.3 49 9 51.5 53.1 54 7 56 3 57.9 69 5 61.2 62.8 40 64.4 66.0 67.6 69.2 70.8 72.4 74.0 75 6 77.2 78.8 50 80.6 82.1 63 7 65 3 86.9 68.5 90 1 91.7 93 3 94 9 80 96.6 982 99.8101.4103.0104.6106.2107.8109.4111 of 70 112.7114.3115.9117.5119.1 120.7122 3123 9125 5127.1 80 128.7130.4132 0 133 6135 2136 8138.4140 0141.6143 6 90 144.6146.5148.1 149 7151 3152.9154.5156.1 157.7159 3 100 160.9 conversion Tabue 200 321 9 300 428.8 400 643.7 500 804.7 1000 16094 Miles to Kilometres Miles per hour Mph to re Kilometres per hour pm a 1 statute mile equal f.490931 Kilometres  How Many Rometer Art equivalent to 59 rules a head Dawn to 50 mile in the left column than right in Ilia fifth column for 6d 5 Kilometres. The Tarne Reading convert pm to pm a. S measurement k conversion table liquid measure linear measure 1 fluid ounce a a 30 Milia users 1 centimetre a a 0.39. Inches 1 Pink s 0 47 i Tor 1 meter a 3 28 feet. 1 quart a 0 95 liners 1 meter a 1 09 Yards 1 gallon 3-79 liners 1 Kilometre a a .62 Miles. March 11, 1993 stripes Magazine 23