European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 22, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                -t7 a study is trying to determine the source of cracks on the Vietnam veterans memorial. Washington Post experts examining cracks in the Wall by Kevin Robbins Scripps Howard news service lowly slightly the Vietnam veterans memorial is cracking. And no one knows exactly Why. Some experts say it the Way the Long reflective Monument was built others blame the material itself. One expert claims the bolts anchoring the 140 Black Granite panels expand and contract in the oppressive Washington heat. Sound theories All officials say. But none answers the broader question. The Issue said Jan c. Scruggs founder and president of the Vietnam veterans memorial fund inc., is How Long will this Granite and this memorial last no one knows that either Scruggs said on a recent stroll through Constitution gardens where the Chevron shaped memorial nowadays called simply the Wall stands starkly at the West end of the National mall. Hair thin cracks Are present in 19 of the memorial s 140 reflective Granite panels according to a 19.91 study. There have been 10 such professional evaluations of the popular memorial since 1984, when cracks were first detected but few of the experts agree on the cause of the damage let alone the memorial s future. Most of the scratches Are barely perceptible from More than afoot away and the memorial is in no danger of falling apart Scruggs said. Some studies contend it in t even necessary to repair the Wall any time soon. Monday August 22, 1994 Washington Post Jan Scruggs memorial fund founder gets a close look at the problem. But that has t prevented Scruggs from considering what might happen years from now. Where do the cracks end he asked surveying the 500-foot Monument unveiled in 1982. The cracks Are a smaller part of the bigger picture and the bigger picture is what is the Fate of the Vietnam memorial in an Effort to provide an answer the memorial fund this year hired a. Washington area architectural firm to take yet another close look at the trouble. This latest study commissioned for $20,000, will unfold in three phases Scruggs said. The first two phases involving a diagnosis of the memorial s weaknesses and How to measure them uniformly should be done by next summer. The last part of the study will take More time and Money Scruggs said. All the significant costs will come about when we get their recommendations he said. Those recommendations might involve the removal of some of the damaged panels and cod Only knows what that will  the fund already has spent $175,000 on memorial studies. The latest will be the most comprehensive Ever conducted at the memorial Scruggs said. Twelve years old this november the Wall attracts 2.5 million visitors a year. Engraved on its panels Are the names of 58,191 american soldiers who died or Are missing As a result of the War in Southeast Asia. A decorated Vietnam Veteran of the army s 199th Light inf brigade Scruggs launched the Vietnam veterans memorial fund in 1979. Congress in 1980 granted the memorial its spot on the mall and in 1982 thousands turned out to dedicate the $5 million Monument. Two years later Park service employees found eight cracks in its face. The department of the Interior maintains the memorial grounds providing Security lighting and staff to help visitors find names for example. The government in t responsible for wholesale changes to the Wall Scruggs said. That s left to the memorial fund which relies on donations. But because the memorial is so ingrained now As a National icon there Are government efforts to help Scruggs raise enough Money to rebuild the memorial if needed. For one the . Mint is issuing 500,000 commemorative Silver dollars to establish a Vietnam veterans memorial Kitty. The coins minted in Philadelphia and West Point n.y., could generate  As $5 million for the memorial. Short subject . A super bargain for foreign visitors by Tom Redburn the new York times this summer Alai a Tobier waited in line two hours to climb the statue of Liberty. He marvelled at the View from the world Trade Center and had his picture taken with a Dinosaur at the american museum of natural history. But now he was concentrating on what really Drew him to new York City shopping. Standing at the counter of a photography store Tobier an aerospace Engineer from Toulouse France looked through the viewfinder of the Pentax Auto focus 35-millimeter camera recommended by a Salesman. He had already bought an Epson portable computer upstairs. One of his companions was carrying a new Wilson Tennis Racket in his bag. The other had a Box of Timberland shoes. Everything is so much More expensive at Home Tobier said. We have a list of All the things we re supposed to buy for our friends. This is so much  join the club. Tourists from abroad spurred on by the fall of the Dollar that makes Many foreign currencies especially valuable in the United states these Days Are spending their francs pesos and yen More freely than Ever this summer. Together with a revival in visitors from elsewhere in the United states new York City appears to be experiencing its Best tourist season in years. New York is the shopping Mecca of the world said Mitchell Moss director of the Urban research Center at new York University. The decline of the Dollar is doing More to boost tourism Here than All the promotional campaigns put  in new York City International visitors accounted for More than $14 billion in economic activity in 1992, the most recent year for which figures Are available the new York convention and visitors Bureau reports. Foreign tourism which is up All Over the country is particularly lucrative. For example visitors from abroad made up Only about 20 percent of the 25 million people who stayed overnight in new York City in 1992, but the convention and visitors Bureau estimates that they spent More than 40 percent of the dollars that tourists left behind. Europeans account for the bulk of the visitors from abroad but tourism officials also note that visitors from latin America Are on the Rise. There has been a slight decline they say in the number of visitors from Japan. To most americans new York stands out As perhaps the most expensive City in the country. The average hotel room rate today is $144. The Cost of restaurant meals from Mcdonald s to the Rainbow room is higher than elsewhere. To visitors from Europe and Japan however new York is a bargain. Most things nere seem pretty inexpensive said Henning Greenback a danish visitor