What to say...

... when being called on your mobile phone? Well, an easy question for Europeans, just as muchg as you want because its the caller who decided to call you so he is paying the bill and you don't have to bother whether he is calling from a landline or a mobile. It's different here in the States. Anybody who receives a call bears part of the costs. That means if the Off Campus Housing Center calls me from their landline to ask whether I still need the little yello card asking for accomodation (btw the firs call I ever received on that yellow card) which I put on their blackboard, I have to pay part of the calling fee. In this case 30 Cents! This screws up the business model of many, many firms that operate more or less successfully in Europe. What about these nasty telemarketing companies selling you lottery tickets? You say that there is an even better environment for them here as they do not have to pay the full costs? Not really true because a caller who doesn't want anything I want is not only wasting my time but here also my money. So I guess that unsolicited calls will trigger some nice lawsuits. It also changes the behavior on the phone ;-). Smalltalk is out. Get to the point! Tell me what you want and don't waste my time (Time = Money)!!! Mmmmhhhh, I think in this regard I have been americanized before! Best from New York to the rest of the world!