TELECOM Digest     Sat, 15 Oct 2005 18:43:00 EDT    Volume 24 : Issue 468

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Microsoft Joins With Nigeria to Fight Email Scammers (Reuters News Wire)
    Microsoft Execs Warn of Bogus XP Update Available (Elizabeth Montalbano)
    Hollywood Calls for a Cut of the Video Pod Pie (Gary Gentile)
    New iPod Causes Rumblings in Entertainment Industry (Monty Solomon)
    Comcast Surpasses One Billion On-Demand Program Views (Monty Solomon)
    Verizon Will Offer Fiber-Optic TV; Bid to Become Media Provide (Solomon)
    Re: 14.4 Runs Faster Than 56k Modem.  Why? (William Warren)
    Re: Recorded Weather Forecast for New York City? (George Mitchell)
    Re: Recorded Weather Forecast for New York City? (Paul Coxwell)
    Re: Recorded Weather Forecast for New York City? (John Levine)
    Re: Switchboards in Homes; Closing at Night (Jim Haynes)
    Re: What is Area Code 113? (Justa Lurker)
    Re: Device That Interfaces Between CallerID/Serial Port? (Carl Navarro)
    Re: Last Laugh! "Acadamy" Services Calls; Alternatives (Fred Atkinson)
    A Message to Soldiers: Hold on Please (Vincent M. Mallozzi)    

Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet.  All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are
included in the fair use quote.  By using -any name or email address-
included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article
herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the
email.

               ===========================

Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without explicit written consent.  Chain letters,
viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome.

We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime.   Geoffrey Welsh

               ===========================

See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Microsoft and Nigeria Fight Email Scammers
Fri, Oct 14 2005 12:57 EDT


Microsoft has announced an anti-fraud partnership with Nigeria, the
country of origin for some of the Internet's most notorious email
scams.

Microsoft, which has been working to improve security and reliability
amid an onslaught of malicious software targeting weakness in Windows
and other Microsoft software, signed a memorandum of understanding
with the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on
Friday.

The agreement is designed to foster cooperation to combat issues such as
spam, phishing, spyware, viruses and counterfeiting.

The email scam, known as a 419 scheme after the relevant section of
the Nigerian Criminal Code, is a computer age version of a con game
that goes back hundreds of years and is sometimes called "The Spanish
Prisoner."

Victims are contacted by a stranger who claims to have access to large
sums of money. They are told that the money can only be accessed if
they disclose the details of their bank account or put up an advance
fee, but the promised funds never materialize.

The EFCC said its Advance Fee Fraud Section "is currently investigat-
ing hundreds of suspects and prosecuting over 50 cases, involving
close to 100 accused persons, in courts throughout Nigeria."

Under terms of the pact, "Microsoft and the EFCC will work together to
combat the problem of internet crime through information sharing and
training on Microsoft's technical expertise in this area," the parties
said.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

------------------------------

From: Elizabeth Montalbano, <IDG@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Microsoft Executives Warn There are Bogus XP Updates Around   
Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 16:17:28 -0500


Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service

A Microsoft employee is warning against downloading an unauthorized
version of Windows XP Service Pack 3 that has surfaced on a popular
Web site that provides software patches.

Cautions Newsgroup

On a recent Microsoft user newsgroup posting, Mike Brannigan, an
enterprise strategy and senior consultant at Microsoft, told users
that downloading an unofficial version of Windows XP SP3 provided on
The http://Hotfix.net would likely harm their computer and put them
"out of support from Microsoft" or other vendors because it is not an
official Microsoft package.

"You would be well advised to stay clear of this fake SP3 package,"
Brannigan wrote in the post, which appears on Google Groups. "It is
not suitable for testing as it is _NOT_ SP3 ... Anyone who installs
this thinking they are getting SP3 (even as a preview) is being
grossly mislead and is posing a significant potentially
non-recoverable risk to their PC and data."

However, Ethan Allen, the creator and administrator of The Hotfix,
asserts that though the version of Windows XP SP3 provided on his site
is not necessarily the official version, it is a reasonable preview of
what will appear when the official service pack is released.

Official Fix Delayed

Microsoft has said that Windows XP SP3 will be available after the
release of Windows Vista, which is expected toward the end of 2006.

"Our pack is indeed a preview to what the official service pack will
be, as these hotfixes will be in Service Pack 3 as proven by
Microsoft's own knowledge base," according to a post by Allen on
TheHotfix.net. "Each of these hotfixes can be obtained for free from
Microsoft by calling their support lines. You should not take a 
download from hotfix.com. Get the real thing from Microsoft."

Allen also wrote that while there is a possibility the SP3 on his site
will make a user's machine less stable, it is not the fault of The
Hotfix, because the software came from Microsoft, not the site itself.

Allen put together the preview of SP3 from software updates he
received from an internal Microsoft source. In an interview Wednesday,
Allen said that Microsoft has not contacted him directly about the
hotfixes he has posted, but his Microsoft source told him the company
was conducting an internal investigation to find out who was leaking
the hotfixes to his site.

Though published reports claimed several weeks ago that there would be
a third service pack for Windows XP, Microsoft shrugged off its
existence until last Thursday, when the company abruptly acknowledged
that SP3 would be available after Windows Vista ships next year.

Copyright 2005 PC World Communications, Inc.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

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For more information go to:
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------------------------------

From: Gary Gentile <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Hollywood Calls for a Cut of the Video Pod Pie
Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 16:18:11 -0500


By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer

In a show of unity, five unions representing actors, writers and
directors issued a joint call for talks to make sure their members get
a cut of revenue generated by the sale of TV shows on Apple's iTunes
software.

The unions sent a clear message to TV producers.

"We have not yet heard from the responsible employers of our members,"
their joint statement said. "But we look forward to a dialogue that
ensures that our members are properly compensated for this
exploitation of their work."

The presidents of unions representing Hollywood writers and actors
were lunching at a popular Beverly Hills restaurant on Wednesday when
they saw a TV report about a deal to allow episodes of ABC shows such
as "Lost" to be downloaded for portable viewing on the new video iPod
from Apple Computer Inc.

In doing the deal with Apple, ABC became the first network to allow
viewers to download episodes of their shows the day after they air on
TV. Other networks are expected to follow shortly.

The development was news to Patric Verrone, president of the Writers
Guild of America, west, and John Connolly, president of the American
Federation of Television & Radio Artists.

The two called their counterparts at the Screen Actors Guild,
Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, East,
which covers writers east of the Mississippi.

The show of unity was unusual, coming from unions that are sometimes
at odds over issues such as royalties from DVD sales.

"We developed a new piece of stationary that never existed before,"
Verrone said of the joint statement.

The unions have not yet called ABC or its parent, The Walt Disney Co.,
to discuss how much of the $1.99 that Apple is charging for a single
episode should go to writers, actors and directors.

"The guilds are our business partners, and we always welcome a
dialogue with them on any business-related issue that affects their
members," ABC said in a statement.

The groups already have agreements that cover the re-use of their work
on the Internet or in "pay per view" models, such as video on demand.
The unions also have newer agreements covering work produced for the
Internet.

Under the WGA contract, writers are entitled to 1.6 percent of the
license fee paid by networks to the producers of a show. The ABC hits
"Lost" and "Desperate Housewives," are produced by Touchstone Studios,
Disney's TV production arm.

Actors are entitled to 3.6 percent of the license fee.

A conflict could arise if studios decide to treat the Internet
downloads the same as a DVD sale, which might result in lower
payments.

"We have to learn more about the actual technology," Verrone
said. "I'm thrilled by the notion I can watch my shows in the palm of
my hand, but I also want to make sure we are paid appropriately."

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

For more news from Associated Press, please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html   (or)
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:26:58 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: New iPod Causes Rumblings in Entertainment Industry


Video-playing feature is a reversal for Apple's Jobs

By TODD BISHOP
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Friday, October 14, 2005

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Before this week's unveiling of the new
video-enabled iPod, Apple Computer's Steve Jobs was renowned in
technology circles for his skepticism about video on portable devices.

Just how ridiculous did he consider the concept? Jobs joked in a
conference call with reporters last year that if Apple were to add
video to the iPod, it might as well turn the device into a toaster,
too.

"I want it to brown my bagels when I'm listening to my music," he said
at the time. "And we're toying with refrigeration, too."

His change of heart could have big implications for the media and
entertainment world. In addition to announcing its new, video-enabled
iPod this week, Apple introduced a departure from the TV industry's
traditional business model -- generating revenue not by embedding
advertising in the shows but by charging a small amount to download
them.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/244567_applefolo14.html

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 01:24:52 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Comcast Surpasses One Billion On-Demand Program Views


Movies, Music, Sports and Children's Programming Are Most Popular Categories
As Customers Enjoy Watching What They Want, When They Want

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK),
the country's leading provider of cable, entertainment and
communications products and services, continues to change the way
people watch television, today announcing that more than one billion
programs have been viewed on the company's ON DEMAND service to date
this year.

With this announcement, the company is on track to surpass previous
expectations that one billion ON DEMAND programs would be viewed in
2005 alone.  Last year, Comcast customers viewed 567 million video on
demand programs.  ON DEMAND views are IP streams of video content that
are delivered to customers' television sets via Comcast's
next-generation fiber network.  Launched in late 2002 in Philadelphia,
ON DEMAND is now available in all of the company's major markets.

     - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=52339202

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 01:00:45 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Verizon Will Offer Fiber-Optic TV in Bid to Become Media Provider


By Keith Reed, Globe Staff

WALTHAM -- Now the phone company is getting into the TV business.

Verizon Communications Inc. yesterday showed off its new television
service that will compete with cable by using fiber-optic lines, which
can carry a dizzying amount of voice, data, and video at speeds
impossible over the existing wires running into most homes. Verizon
hopes to eventually replace with fiber optics all of the copper wire
that currently carries its voice and data products to consumers.

In the process, the company is positioning itself to offer services
that, until now, many consumers haven't even dreamed of, such as
allowing TV viewers to interactively search for programming using
keywords, much like a Google search, or dial up a live view of traffic
on local roads. Although some places are already wired with fiber
optics, the TV service should be available in some Massachusetts
communities beginning next year.

Verizon's focus on fiber optics is the cornerstone of its nascent
transformation into a content delivery company. It's betting the
investment will help it beat back competition from cable and Internet
telephony companies for subscribers, especially as demand for content
in the home is expected to increase.

http://www.boston.com/ae/media/articles/2005/10/13/verizon_will_offer_fiber_optic_tv_in_bid_to_become_media_provider/

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 09:56:43 -0400
From: William Warren <william_warren_nonoise@speakeasy.net>
Subject: Re: 14.4 Runs Faster Than 56k Modem.  Why?


hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> I only have a 14.4 modem for my dial up connection.  It obviously runs
> slow nowadays with all the junk they throw on the Internet.  (for
> straight text, it runs great).

> I needed access to some information and went to a neighbor who has a
> 56k dial up.  I went to the desired site and to my surprise, the site
> loaded much slower than it does on my home machine.  That didn't make
> any sense to me.

You might have a cached copy of the page on your home machine.

> I did suspect one thing: My browser is also old.  I get Javascript
> errors and tell it not to bother with that.  Perhaps the heavy java
> junk they send down today is bypassed since my browser won't support
> it; further, my browser won't execute any of that java script (which
> can slow things down quite a bit).  I don't get the animations, but
> who cares?  I also miss out on a lot of ads.

> In some ways the fancy java junk is helpful.  But in many ways it is
> nothing but a huge waste of bandwidth and PC CPU cycles.  My high
> powered work PC with a good connection pauses when it works on some
> internet screens, which I think is utterly absurb and unnecessary.

> (Part of my frustration is my feeling that PCs should not be disposed
> of until they're physically worn out, which is about 5-10 years.  But
> with the rapid obsolesence of ALL the components (browsers, I/O ports,
> operating systems, internal motherboard connections, appplications),
> PCs become functionally unusable (obsolete) much earlier than their
> physical decline.  Buying a new PC is an expense, not only for the new
> machine, but also for transferring files and appliations over and
> learning the new hardware and software.)

Javascript has its uses, but you're right about the main one: it's
mostly used to serve up ads. Marketers are trying to "target" ads more
and more, not only based on the site you're visiting, but also on your
past viewing habits, and Javascript is the method of choice.

Web developers are turning to Javascript in order to bypass popup
filters: ever since Mozilla & Firefox made popup blocking a user
option, advertisers have been screeming for ways to defeat the
control.  Javascript, when used cleverly, will bypass popup
filters. There is, of course, a cost, and the currency they're paying
with is your time.

I've tried surfing with Javascript turned off, and as much as one-half
of the "typical" page comes up blank when I do. However, some sites
just don't work well without it -- Ebay, in particular, needs it for
searching the way I'm used to. If you don't choose to use an external
proxy, you can turn off the "Raise or lower windows" option in
Firefox's "Advanced" Javascript options, and that's also effective, at
least for popup ads, although it also kills the popup logon screen at
my bank.

Since I want better control, I've gone back to using Proxomitron to
filter the Javascript, and so far that has worked well: Proxomitron
has an exception file where I can enter sites such as Ebay. Although
Proxomitron isn't maintained anymore, (R.I.P. Scott Lemmon) there are
other proxies available.

The fight for control of your browser is an arms race, and no solution
will work forever. The trick is to stay (pun intended) off their
radar, and that means using a control mechanism that's not common
enough to attract countermeasures. I'm working on a Linux firewall
that will return a "site unavailable" error from every IP address used
to serve up ads: that's going to be my next big gun.

FWIW. YMMV.

William

William Warren

(Filter noise from my address for direct replies)

------------------------------

From: George Mitchell <george@m5p.com>
Subject: Re: Recorded Weather Forecast for New York City?
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 21:41:36 -0700
Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com


hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> There used to be a recorded weather forecast for New York at
> 212-976-1212.  Westchester County had 914-976-1212.

Most of the northeast except Connecticut used 936 for the weather, not
976, as I remember (though my memory is not what it was).  976 first
came into use in the late 1970s for phone sex -- excuse me, value-added
information services.

-- George Mitchell

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 14:51:50 +0100
From: Paul Coxwell <paulcoxwell@tiscali.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Recorded Weather Forecast for New York City?


> There used to be a recorded weather forecast for New York at
> 212-976-1212.  Westchester County had 914-976-1212.

> However, those numbers no longer work.  The AAA Guidebook, which once
> listed the numbers, is now silent on it.

> Would anyone know if such a service still exists for NYC?  (And other
> cities as well)?

> (Philadelphia weather is 215 WE 6-1212, time is 215 TI 6-1212, the
> same numbers for many years.  Bell used to update the weather
> recording hourly, not it only does it a few times during the day.)

Try (212) 976-2828.   You need to listen through the lotto results 
before getting to the weather forecast though!

I remember in the early 1980s NYC was using 936-1212 for weather and
936-1616 for time.  I can't remember when they changed to 976 numbers,
possibly late 1980s?

When WE6 was still in use there was also the "Big Apple Report" on
999-1111.  Was 999 a general exchange serving part of NYC at that
time, or was that a special prefix?

WE6-1212 will still get you the weather forecast for Boston (617),
Milwaukee (414), and Washington D.C. (202).

-Paul

------------------------------

Date: 15 Oct 2005 18:13:47 -0000
From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
Subject: Re: Recorded Weather Forecast for New York City?
Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA


> There used to be a recorded weather forecast for New York at
> 212-976-1212.  Westchester County had 914-976-1212.

> However, those numbers no longer work.

They should work fine if you're calling from the NYC area.  The
212-976 and 914-976 prefixes are pay per call, so long distance
carriers won't connect to them.  The last time I called (a long time
ago) the charge was a quarter.

As far as the weather is concerned, here in upstate NY we've had a lot
of rain but nothing too bad.  There are swampy areas that flood, and
they're flooded.  It's not a big deal except, I suppose, that many of
the swampy areas are close to where NYC news people live.

R's,

John


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well this afternoon (Saturday) Yahoo
News had some really awful reports of mud slides and other nasty
events on a couple of the interstates there, with a picture of a 
SUV (Sports Utility Van?) swept off the highway and thrown into a
lagoon with the driver of same trying to evacuate and save his 
family, etc. That was in New Jersey. And I guess the governor of
Massachusetts has declared an emergency in areas of that state, saying
they had more rain in a couple days than they otherwise had all 
summer.    PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Switchboards in Homes; Closing at Night
Reply-To: jhaynes@alumni.uark.edu
Organization: University of Arkansas Alumni
From: haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes)
Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 19:17:04 GMT


There's a book "Everything Happened Around The Switchboard" that may
still be available from Mike Sandman and tells of that kind of
operation.

Every manual switchboard I've seen, from PBX to central office, has an
audible alarm that the operator can turn on or off.  When turned on it
sounds when there is an incoming call that needs attention.  It also
lights a signal lamp on the board.  This circuit is always called a
"night alarm". 

jhhaynes at earthlink dot net



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, and a foot pedal/switch allowed
the operator to temporarily mute the audible alarm also.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Justa Lurker <JustaLurker@att.net>
Subject: Re: What is Area Code 113?
Organization: AT&T Worldnet
Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 19:58:37 GMT


Fred Atkinson wrote:

> I seem to remember that years ago, 113 was the number for directory
> assistance down in Florida.  But that doesn't give a clue as to why it
> showed up on your caller ID.

Must've been GTE territory (well, back then, it was the General System).

In Erie PA [GTE before becoming Bell Atlantic and now Verizon of
course] during the 1960s (possibly earlier than that), information
was also 113 ... repair was 114 ... the fire department was 1171
 ... and you dialed 112 before the area code and number when placing
a DDD [direct-distance dialing] long distance call.  I want to say
that the test board was 116 but it's been a long time.  Not sure if
there was a speed-dial code (if you will) for the business office.

For some reason, I think a lot of this went away when the GTD EAX 
replaced the old step-by-step equipment sometime in the late 60s or 
early 70s (?).

Funny what you remember :-)

------------------------------

From: Carl Navarro <cnavarro@wcnet.org>
Subject: Re: Device That Interfaces Between Phone/CallerID and Serial Port?
Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 02:09:09 GMT
Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com


On Fri, 14 Oct 2005 17:30:37 -0700, anon1@sci.sci wrote:

>> http://www.parliant.com/phonevalet/callprofiles.html
>> $200 and it runs on your Mac.

> | PhoneValet for Mac OS X

> My Mac doesn't have OS X, so that product probably wouldn't work here.
> Also, I see no mention of touch-tone (DTMF) menus, a.k.a.  DTMF-IVR
> (Integrated/Interactive Voice Response), in the description, so even
> if this device did work with Mac OS 7.x.x, it wouldn't be of any use
> to me for distinguishing between a friendly acquaintance needing to
> make a no-caller-ID call and a harasser suppressing caller-ID to
> harass me even more than usual.

> Also, since my Mac doesn't have enough RAM or disk space to install
> any large software, I really need a standalone box that doesn't
> require major software installed on my Mac. So searching specifically
> for a device related to my Mac seems not a good idea. Google search
> for "DTMF IVR standalone box" doesn't seem to turn up what I'm looking
> for, only very much more complicated stuff that would have to cost ten
> times what I'm looking for, including stuff that requires access to
> the net including java .NET services.

So in the grand scheme of things, you should have said that you had no
budget, had a Mac, and wanted someone to find you a solution for
nothing.

Good luck in the future ...

------------------------------

From: Fred Atkinson <fatkinson@mishmash.com>
Subject: Re: Last Laugh! "Acadamy" Services Calls; Alternative Solutions
Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 22:17:56 -0400


Years ago, a fellow that worked with us was working in our private
line terminal.  The number at the private line terminal had two digits
reversed from an ad that kept reappearing in the paper.  The ad was
for used car sales.

He got all kinds of angry calls.  They wouldn't believe him when he
told them that they hadn't reached the used car place.  Finally, our
guy got tired of the abuse.  He started promising callers that if
they'd bring the car back, they would fix it and even give the use of
a loaner car while they did the work.

I can imagine what happened when they got back to the used car lot
again.

Fred

> PAT wrote:

>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Do you have any female friends who
>> could take the call? When the caller asks for Michelle put 'her' on
>> the line to see what it is they want. Have 'Michelle' stay on the
>> phone to get the details. Or, just tell the caller "Michelle is not
>> here right now, let me take a message for her." Maybe you can squeek
>> some information out of them. Good luck with it. PAT]

> Eons ago, when I worked for a radio station, we kept getting calls for
> "Alice" on the unlisted engineering line.  One of our engineers
> finally told the caller "she just left with Sam."  The caller screamed
> "is that m----- f----- back in town?" and slammed down the handset.

> We heard from Alice again.

> Neal McLain

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Neal, I think you meant to type 'We
> _NEVER_ heard from Alice again.'   But your (I suppose, ad-libbed)
> approach worked quite well. I thought about that after reading an
> earlier complaint about this 'Academy' company or whatever it is.
> When the caller asks for 'Michelle' the person answering should say
> in an apologetic but very straight tone of voice, "Well, Michelle
> isn't here right now; she is out with (some name)(some obscenity).
> I do not know when she will be back, but I do know this much. If you
> intend to allow her to run the streets like a dog in heat, you need
> to watch who she goes with. When you get her back to your place I
> recommend strong discipline." Say all that with a straight face, and
> see how far you can get the conversation to go.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Vincent M. Mallozzi <nytimes@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: A Message to Soldiers: Hold on Please 
Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 01:04:43 -0400


Good article about the "operators" who help the soldiers get calls
through.


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/15/nyregion/15phones.html

By VINCENT M. MALLOZZI

The battle lines stretch from the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq to
a small, quiet room in Brooklyn.

The lines are secured not by uniform or gunfire, but by the keyboard
clatter and soft voices of three operators at the Fort Hamilton
military base who spend their days helping thousands of American
soldiers fight the dark forces of fear, anxiety, depression and
loneliness that have invaded their battered, war-torn psyches.

Every day, some 1,500 phone calls are made by military people from
outposts around the world to Operator 10, Operator 7 and Operator 5,
three civilians working at Fort Hamilton who reroute those calls to
loved ones throughout Westchester, Long Island and New York City's
five boroughs. The operators are there to accept the federally
financed calls, which would be too expensive for soldiers to make on
their own.

To a great number of those frightened and uncertain callers on the
other end of the line, some of whom signed up for military service
long before their prom pictures were developed, Edith Alvarez, Sandra
Iglesias and Iris Lugo are more than just faceless ID numbers
transferring calls on Uncle Sam's dime. Although they are not required
to lift soldiers' sagging spirits, the operators have transformed the
center, one of hundreds around the world, into more than just a
switchboard.

"Many times, all these soldiers want from us is to lend a listening
ear," said Mrs. Alvarez, Operator 5, a 43-year-old from Staten
Island. "Sometimes, we're all they have."

So they dial zero for operator, and when those lines begin to ring, as
they did on Wednesday morning, the Fort Hamilton troop springs into
action, often playing the additional roles of mother, therapist and
best buddy for soldiers whose calls have surged as deployments have
risen in recent years. Mrs. Alvarez was all of those things for a
teenage soldier in Afghanistan who called one New Year's Eve and said
he was having problems with his girlfriend who lived in the Bronx.

"I can't find her," Mrs. Alvarez recalled the young soldier as saying.

The call arrived just before 6 p.m., minutes before Mrs. Alvarez was
to end her shift. She dialed several other numbers in vain until,
finally, there were no numbers left to call. "But I just need somebody
to talk to," she recalled his saying.

So Mrs. Alvarez and the soldier talked, and talked some more, their
conversation set to an eerie soundtrack of rapid gunfire, soaring
planes and a whirling sandstorm. Four and a half hours later, she had
convinced a young man a world away to do what operators have been
telling customers to do since the invention of the switchboard: hang
on.

"We try and tell them that tomorrow will be a better day, and that
hopefully, real soon, they'll be coming home," said Ms. Iglesias,
Operator 10, a 34-year-old who lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. "Many times
these are just kids we are talking to, kids barely out of high
school."

There have been thousands of wrenching calls this past week alone,
sharing the joyful news of newborn babies, the dreaded news of
comrades lost and just about everything in between. The women,
adopting a code of silence familiar to those entrusted with
life-altering confidences, were loath to speak about the soldiers they
had just counseled in soothing, steady tones.

Some of them have become friends, in a sense. "For the last four
years, I've been talking with a soldier from Queens stationed
overseas," said Mrs. Lugo, Operator 7, a 38-year-old from the Crown
Heights section of Brooklyn. "He and his wife have been trying so hard
to have a baby together, and it just hasn't happened yet.

"I'm really hoping it does," she said.

Several months ago, one soldier called from Iraq to ask for help in
tracking down a car she had parked in Brooklyn that had been towed
while she was off to war, while another called from Iraq to say he
missed the taste of Oreos. Such news flashes, commentaries and
questions sprout in other places like Kosovo, Germany, Italy, Spain
and anywhere else a soldier's boots touch foreign soil.

"It's like listening to hundreds of soap operas a week, and trying to
help some of the characters involved," Mrs. Alvarez said. "It's one
thing when you're reading about our troops in the paper every day, but
to actually be talking to them, and hearing them laugh and cry, well,
that really hits home."

Angel Ortiz, a former soldier and operator at Fort Hamilton who now
serves as the operators' supervisor, said that in hiring for such a
position, he looked "for more than just an operator, but people with
life experience."

Mr. Ortiz, 41, continued: "I need someone with patience, understanding
and the ability to communicate with others. This is a very stressful
job, because these women play a vital role in boosting the morale of
our troops all across the world."

All three operators admit that most of the calls they take are not
emotionally toll free, and that being a personal lifeline to needy
soldiers is indeed a responsibility steeped in pressure. The job is a
departure from their previous ones, running a grocery store, managing
a drug store and entering data. Their shifts, which start at 7:30
a.m., all end by 6 p.m., when the calls are routed to operators at the
Pentagon. But the job lasts beyond the time they punch out. "Some of
the news, especially the bad news, can really rattle you,"
Ms. Iglesias said. "You can't help but take it home with you every
night."

Anne Waterman-Campbell, 48, of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, worked alongside
the operators as a temporary worker from May through August (she was
Operator 3). Even in that short span, she said, some of the crying
voices from those far-off battlefields, those who called her wondering
when their own number might be called, still play in her mind like a
bad dream.

"I had a woman in Iraq who called me and just started screaming into
the phone, saying 'I can't take this anymore! I can't take being shot
at! I want to go home!'

"As she screamed, I could hear gunfire in the background,"
Mrs. Campbell said. "I did everything I could to calm her down."

Just recently, Mrs. Alvarez was ready to do the same for a caller who
was in a German hospital recovering from shrapnel wounds in both
legs. He had been wounded while fighting in Iraq.

As it turned out, the caller was more in need of a tall glass of milk
than he was in need of a short pep talk.

"I'm just calling to thank you for the Oreos," Mrs. Alvarez recalled
his saying.

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