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TELECOM Digest     Mon, 28 Nov 2005 23:53:00 EST    Volume 24 : Issue 538

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Cybercrime Yeilds More Cash Than Drugs (Suhail Karem)
    Man Arrested, Accused of Starting Fake Site, Fake Story (Associated Press)
    FTC Says Spam Email Filters Getting Smarter, But so is Spam (Reuters News)
    ICANN Examines Single Letter Domain Names (Anick Jesdanun)
    Deadline For VOIP 911 Passes (Jennifer C. Kerr)
    You Are Exposed / When Even the Privacy Commissioner's Cellphone (Solomon)
    TiVo Announces First Advertising Search Product for Television (M Solomon)
    What Happened to Amanda Voicemail Company? (aadler@ctvi.com)
    WKMG Report: Web Sites Offer Private Cell Phone Information (Dave Garland)
    N.C. Judge Declines Protection for Diebold (Monty Solomon)
    Expensive Cell Phone Rates (Lisa Hancock)
    Re: John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby (Henry)
    Re: John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby (Paul)
    Re: John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby (Robert Bonomi)
    Re: JFK Assassination (Anthony Bellanga)
    Holiday Observances Phone Rates (was Re: Kennedy) (Lisa Hancock)

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: Souhail Karam  <reuters@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Cybercrime Yeilds More Cash Than Drugs
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 20:49:40 -0600


By Souhail Karam

Global cybercrime generated a higher turnover than drug trafficking in
2004 and is set to grow even further with the wider use of technology
in developing countries, a top expert said on Monday.

No country is immune from cybercrime, which includes corporate
espionage, child pornography, stock manipulation, extortion and
piracy, said Valerie McNiven, who advises the U.S. Treasury on
cybercrime.

"Last year was the first year that proceeds from cybercrime were
greater than proceeds from the sale of illegal drugs, and that was, I
believe, over $105 billion," McNiven told Reuters.

"Cybercrime is moving at such a high speed that law enforcement cannot
catch up with it."

For example, Web sites used by fraudsters for "phishing" -- the
practice of tricking computer users into revealing their bank details
and other personal data -- only stayed on the Internet for a maximum
of 48 hours, she said.

Asked if there was evidence of links between the funding of terrorism
and cybercrime, McNiven said: "There is evidence of links between
them. But what's more important is our refusal or failure to create
secure systems, we can do it but it's an issue of costs."

McNiven, a former e-finance and e-security specialist for the World
Bank, was speaking in Riyadh on the sidelines of a conference on
information security in the banking sector.

Developing countries which lack the virtual financial systems
available elsewhere are easier prey for cybercrime perpetrators, who
are often idle youths looking for quick gain.

"When you have identity thefts or corruption and manipulation of
information there (developing countries), it becomes almost more
important because ...  their systems start getting compromised from
the get-go," she said.

"Another area that begins to expand is human trafficking and
pornography because both of these become so much available once you
have a communication ability," McNiven 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: Associated Press News Wire <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Man Arrested, Accused of Starting Fake Web Site, Story
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 20:52:22 -0600


Police arrested a former computer programmer Monday for allegedly
publishing a fabricated news article on a fake Yahoo Japan news Web
site saying China had invaded the Japanese island of Okinawa.

Metropolitan Police arrested Takahiro Yamamoto, 30, on suspicion of
violating patent laws, said a police spokesman who spoke on condition
of anonymity, citing departmental policy.

The office said Yamamoto allegedly accredited the fake article to
Kyodo News Agency and published it on an Internet site that he had
designed to look like Yahoo Japan Corp.'s news site.

The story was written in Japanese with a dateline "America, Oct. 18
Kyodo" followed by a headline saying "Chinese Military Invades
Okinawa," the police said.

Police had confiscated Yamamoto's personal computer and analyzed the
data stored in it.

Kyodo said both it and Yahoo had filed complaints to police in
October.

The Web site was accessed 66,000 times until it was taken down on
Oct. 19, Kyodo said, quoting police.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo operates the world's leading Internet portal.

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

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

From: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: FTC Says 'Spam' Email Filters Getting Smarter, But so is Spam
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 20:48:19 -0600


E-mail "spammers" are aggressive as ever, and smarter too, but
Internet providers are getting better at blocking junk messages before
they reach users' inboxes, according to a U.S. Federal Trade
Commission study released on Monday.

The FTC found that spammers continue to "scrape" e-mail addresses from
the Web using automated programs that look for the telltale "@" sign.

But up to 96 percent of those messages were blocked by the two
Web-based e-mail providers used by the FTC in its test. The FTC did
not say which providers it used in its study.

"This encouraging result suggests that anti-spam technologies may be
dramatically reducing the burden of spam on consumers," the report
said.

The FTC noted that Internet providers still must bear the burden of
filtering out those messages.

Consumers can stay off spammers' lists by writing out their addresses
in an alternate syntax if they must post them online, the FTC said.

Writing an e-mail addresses as "janedoe (at) isp (com)" rather than
"janedoe@isp.com" will fool most spammers' harvesting programs, the
FTC said.

E-mail addresses posted on test Web sites were likely to attract spam,
but those posted on blogs, chat rooms or other online forums were less
likely to become spam magnets, the FTC 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: Anick Jesdanun <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: ICANN Examines Single-Letter Domain Names
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 20:50:56 -0600


By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer

Although Internet domain names may be getting longer or more complex
as Web sites creatively squeeze into the crowded ".com" address space,
most single-letter names like "a.com" and "b.com" remain unused. That
may soon change as the Internet's key oversight agency considers
lifting restrictions on the simplest of names.

In response to requests by companies seeking to extend their brands,
the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers will chart a
course for single-letter Web addresses as early as this weekend, when
the ICANN board meets in Vancouver, British Columbia. Those names
could start to appear next year.

But the transition won't be easy -- and it could lead to six-figure
sales of this new online real estate, akin to opening New York's
Central Park to development.

"Obviously this is a valuable commodity," said Kurt Pritz, ICANN's
vice president for business operations. "How would the name be sold?"

Names are normally released on a first-come, first-served basis for
$10 or less, a policy that favors those who have written programs to
automatically and frequently check for a name's availability. 
Auctioning names to the highest bidder is one possibility.

ICANN also must decide whether companies need to seek such names
individually if they want them across all suffixes, including ".com,"
".info" and ".biz."

Single-letter names under ".com," ".net" and ".org" were set aside in
1993 as engineers grew concerned about their ability to meet the
expected explosion in demand for domain names. They weren't sure then
whether a single database of names could hold millions -- more than 40
million in the case of ".com" today.

Six single-letter names already claimed at the time -- "q.com," "x.com,
"z.com," "i.net," "q.net," and "x.org" -- were allowed to keep their names
for the time being.

One idea was to create a mechanism for splitting a single database
into 26 - one corresponding to each letter. So instead of storing the
domain name for The Associated Press under ".org," it would go under
"a.org." In other words, "ap.org" would become "ap.a.org."

Now, engineers have concluded that won't be necessary. They have seen
the address database grow to hold millions of names without trouble,
so they are now willing to let go of the single-letter names they had
reserved.

(There are no immediate plans to release two-letter combos that have
been reserved under some suffixes -- they were set aside not for
technical reasons but to avoid confusion with two-letter country-code
suffixes such as ".fr" for France.)

Meanwhile, a handful of companies have asked ICANN to free up the
single characters. Overstock.com Inc., for instance, prefers a
single-letter brand of "o.com" because its newer businesses no longer
fit its original mission of providing discounts on excess inventory.

The ICANN board must now decide whether and how to release the
names. At its meeting Sunday, it could ask staff to come up with a
proposal or refer the matter to an ICANN committee for further study.

Matt Bentley, chief executive of domain name broker Sedo.com LLC, said
single-letter ".com" names could fetch six-figure sums, and a few
might even command more than $1 million from some of the Internet's
biggest companies.  Yahoo Inc. applied for a trademark to "y.com" this
year.

"Obviously there's nothing more exquisite than names that are in
extremely rare supply like that," Bentley said. "They would have a lot
of cachet as a brand name. I could see there would be tons of demand."

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.

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

From: Jennifer C. Kerr <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Deadline For VOIP 911 Passes
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 20:53:25 -0600


By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer

Companies that provide Internet-based phone service could be barred
from signing up new customers in at least some areas for failing to
meet a federal mandate to provide reliable emergency 911 service in
all their markets.

The deadline to show the government where enhanced 911, or E911, is
available was Monday. However, companies and the Federal
Communications Commission were tightlipped, refusing to disclose
details of compliance reports.

It was widely expected that no company would meet the deadline since
the FCC had given them only 120 days to comply. The VON Coalition, an
industry group, has said as much. The coalition did its own survey and
estimated that about two-thirds of Internet phone users would have
enhanced 911 by the deadline.

House and Senate lawmakers had urged FCC Chairman Kevin Martin to be
more flexible, giving the companies more time and more tools to speed
deployment, but no announcement of an extension was issued Monday by
the FCC.

Citing public safety concerns, the FCC in May ordered companies
selling Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, to ensure that callers
can reach an emergency dispatcher when they dial 911. The dispatchers
also must be able to tell where callers are located and the numbers
from which they are calling.

VoIP providers were told that if they failed to meet the deadline they
could no longer market their services or accept new customers in areas
that didn't have enhanced 911. They will not have to disconnect
current customers who don't have full 911 service, as some providers
had feared.

David Kaut, a telecom analyst at Legg Mason, said VoIP companies will
take a hit if the FCC follows through on its threat.

"If you can't add customers in, say, a third of your territories,
that's a significant part of the market where you are all of a sudden
capped," said Kaut. "These are supposed to be growth companies."

Vonage and AT&T declined to comment on their compliance  levels. Vonage,
the largest provider, has about 1 million customers while AT&T offers
service to about 57,000 customers through its CallVantage service.

SunRocket, which has more than 50,000 subscribers nationwide, said it
had equipped 96 percent of its customers with full 911 services.

FCC spokesman David Fiske declined to discuss possible enforcement
actions against offending companies. "At this stage," he said, "the
agency is focused on the compliance filings by VoIP providers."

Voice over Internet Protocol shifts calls from wires and switches,
using computers and broadband connections to convert sounds into data
and transmit them via the Internet. In many cases, subscribers use
conventional phones hooked up to high-speed Internet lines. But the
service can often be mobile, too, making it difficult to ensure that
the call goes to the correct local emergency center.

There are about 3.6 million VoIP users in the United States. Of those,
about half get their service from cable TV companies who already
provide enhanced 911 capabilities. Other providers offer a 911 service
that directs emergency calls to a general administrative number, but
those lines haven't always been staffed around the clock.

The order applies to companies selling VoIP service that uses the
public phone network to place and terminate calls.

On the Net:

Federal Communications Commission: http://www.fcc.gov
VON Coalition: http://www.von.org/

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.

More news headlines from Associated Press with NPR Audio:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/KOSU.html

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

Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 18:02:15 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: You Are Exposed / When even the Privacy Commissioner's Cellphone


When even the privacy commissioner's cellphone records are available 
online, we've all got security problems.

JONATHON GATEHOUSE
November 21, 2005

Jennifer Stoddart is a dedicated public servant who has spent years --
first working for the province of Quebec, and since 2003 as the
federal privacy commissioner -- trying to protect Canadians' personal
information from prying governments and greedy businesses. A lawyer by
trade, she has impeccable qualifications for the job, with a strong
background in constitutional law and human rights.

But there's a point to be made about the type of highly confidential
data that can be obtained by anyone with an Internet connection and a
credit card, and Stoddart has the misfortune of being the perfect
illustration. Not that she's pleased about it. Her eyes widen as she
recognizes what has just been dropped on the conference table in her
downtown Ottawa office -- detailed lists of the phone calls made from
her Montreal home, Eastern Townships' chalet, and to and from her
government-issued BlackBerry cellphone. Her mouth hangs open, and she
appears near tears. "Oh my God," she says finally. "I didn't realize
this was possible. This is really alarming."

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/canada/article.jsp?content=20051121_115779_115779

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

Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 22:08:19 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: TiVo Announces First Advertising Search Product for Television


Offering Will Allow Viewers to Seek Ads That Provide Relevant Product
Information

Interpublic Media, OMD, Starcom Mediavest Group and The Richards Group to
Participate in Development Along With Comcast Spotlight

ALVISO, Calif., Nov. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TiVo Inc.  (Nasdaq:
TIVO), the creator and a leader in advertising solutions and
television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), today
announced that it plans to offer the first television-based
advertising search solution in Spring 2006.  Leveraging TiVo's
television search capabilities that enhance the TV viewing experience,
the new product will deliver relevant, targeted advertising to
subscribers that want to view particular advertising categories.

Leading media and advertising agencies including Interpublic Media,
OMD, Starcom Mediavest Group and The Richards Group, as well as
Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable,
have worked with TiVo to provide their expertise in the development of
this revolutionary product.  Agency research and development
techniques will contribute in determining relevant categories of
interest, such as automotive, travel, telecommunications, and consumer
packaged goods, as well as determine relevant pricing models.

Today television advertising is almost entirely delivered when
adjacent to mass programming.  For the first time, advertisers will
have the ability to deliver television advertising, on demand and
targeted to consumers, without the limitations of traditional
television media placement.  Advertisers will be able to reach viewers
in the market for a certain product or service.  Ads will be delivered
to subscribers who can conduct a search for a product by category or
associated with keywords, utilizing the same revolutionary keyword
search techniques offered with Internet advertising, resulting in
increased relevancy for the consumer, as well as efficient, measurable
results for the advertiser.

This new advertising approach presents an opportunity for TiVo(R)
service subscribers to search for relevant information on products or
services that match their needs.  The heightened viewer experience
that the new offering is intended to provide will deliver
non-intrusive, relevant, interactive advertising, on a opt-in basis.
TiVo subscribers, if they choose to use the search capability, will
retain control over their viewing experience through the creation of a
viewer contributed profile via the set-top box that will enable them
to receive advertisements based on their interests.

- http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=53486811

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

From: aadler@ctvi.com
Subject: What Happened to Amanda Voicemail Company?
Date: 28 Nov 2005 18:22:51 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Are they still in business?  All day today their lines were down.

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

From: Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com>
Subject: WKMG News Report: Web Sites Offer Private Cell Phone Information
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 15:34:03 -0600
Organization: Wizard Information


Web Sites Offer Private Cell Phone Information

A [WKMG TV] Problem Solvers investigation has discovered that several
Web sites will sell the last 100 phone numbers you have dialed to
anyone who knows your phone number.

The report found that sites like Locate Cell will sell the private
phone numbers for about $100.

Once the fee is paid on the Web sites, anyone can get access to the
phone numbers, including bank, doctor and work numbers, Local 6 News
reported.

The Web sites are not illegal, according to the report.

http://www.local6.com/money/5416040/detail.html
http://www.locatecell.com/celltoll.html

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

Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 21:40:23 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: N.C. Judge Declines Protection for Diebold


By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- One of the nation's leading suppliers of
electronic voting machines may decide against selling new equipment in
North Carolina after a judge declined Monday to protect it from
criminal prosecution should it fail to disclose software code as
required by state law.

Diebold Inc., which makes automated teller machines and security and
voting equipment, is worried it could be charged with a felony if
officials determine the company failed to make all of its code _ some
of which is owned by third-party software firms, including Microsoft
Corp. _ available for examination by election officials in case of a
voting mishap.

The requirement is part of the minimum voting equipment standards
approved by state lawmakers earlier this year following the loss of
more than 4,400 electronic ballots in Carteret County during the
November 2004 election. The lost votes threw at least one close
statewide race into uncertainty for more than two months.

About 20 North Carolina counties already use Diebold voting machines,
and the State Board of Elections plans to announce Thursday the
suppliers that meet the new standards. Local elections boards will be
allowed to purchase voting machines from the approved vendors.

      - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=53510127

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Expensive Cell Phone Rates
Date: 28 Nov 2005 12:52:54 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


I was thinking about upgrading my ancient cell phone, but I am put off
by the high monthly rates.  I'd end up paying double for less service.

My present plan is $20/month with 200 free offpeak minutes.  Perfect
for me.

A new plan would require buying a new telephone set with many features
I don't need nor want and then paying $40 per month to get about the
same amount of free airtime.  The only advtg would be that peak time
and roaming would be cheaper than now, but I don't use the phone
during peak time nor roam now.

Further, their definitions of "roaming" seem very vague.  They (all
the carriers) give you a map with a solid color, a pale color and
white.  The solid color apparently is full service, but not guaranteed
since it may be through another contracted party.  That in itself is
confusing.  The pale color is particular confusing.

I was surprised at the many white spots (no service) in reasonably
developed areas.

Apparently one still needs a dual mode phone that can do analog as
well as digital since not areas have working digital and you need
analog.  That troubles me since I'm most likely to need my cell phone
work when I'm in an isolated area (ie a car breakdown in a rural
location).  I thought by now all reasonably developed areas of the
U.S. were fully digitally served.



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I use Cingular Wireless, and am on
the $29.95 per month plan with about 400 daytime minutes and more
than I would ever use nighttime minutes. The important thing is
get the 'rollover' plan where unused minutes keep stacking up until
you use them. If you can find a 'GAIT' style phone, literally the
entire USA is covered with no roaming fees nor long distance fees. 
PAT]

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

From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry)
Subject: Re: John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby
Date:  Mon, 28 Nov 2005 21:57:05 +0200
Organization: Elisa Internet customer


> Patrick Townson <ptownson@telecom-digest.org> wrote:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 

> Thanksgiving is always a variable date holiday.  It _always_ comes
> on Thursday, but is it the _last_ Thursday in November or the
> _fourth_ Thursday in November (sometimes there are five Thursdays.)?

By definition, it's the fourth. That's usually the last but, as you
note, some years there are five.

Cheers,

Henry

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

From: Paul <Paul.Sawyer.does.not.want.spam@unh.BAD.EXAMPLE.edu>
Subject: Re: John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 20:12:43 UTC
Organization: Me


henry999@eircom.net (Henry) wrote in news:telecom24.537.14@telecom-
digest.org:

> Patrick Townson <ptownson@telecom-digest.org> wrote:

>> Just as a historical note, it was forty-two years ago this weekend
>> (Thanksgiving weekend, 1963) ...

> Sorry, PAT. It was the week before Thanksgiving.

> The assassination was on a Friday and I was in school. There is no
> school on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Ergo...

> Cheers,

> Henry

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Maybe you are correct; it was a long
> time ago (as you and I both know in our ancient ages!) Something I am
> not clear on, however: Thanksgiving is always a variable date holiday.
> It _always_ comes on Thursday, but is it the _last_ Thursday in 
> November or the _fourth_ Thursday in November (sometimes there are
> five Thursdays.)? I know that now and again merchants complain when
> there is a 'late Thanksgiving' as they get 'cheated' out of a week
> of Christmas sales. What is the exact rule?  And do you remember when
> Memorial Day used to _always_ be May 30, no matter what day of the
> week it was? If it came on Sunday sometimes, then we kids in school
> felt 'cheated' because we did not get an extra holiday from school.
> But if it fell on Wednesday, our parents felt 'cheated' since it was
> impossible to drive any distance on holiday and get back home on the
> same day (so as to not miss next day's work or kid's school day, etc.)
> PAT]

Either way, Thanksgiving 1963 was on the fourth, and last, Thursday:

    	http://www.lawlib.state.ma.us/ExecOrders/eo45.txt

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

From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomni.com (Robert Bonomi)
Subject: Re: John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, and Jack Ruby
Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 23:34:27 -0000
Organization: Widgets, Inc.


In article <telecom24.537.14@telecom-digest.org>,
Henry <henry999@eircom.net> wrote:

> Patrick Townson <ptownson@telecom-digest.org> wrote:

>> Just as a historical note, it was forty-two years ago this weekend
>> (Thanksgiving weekend, 1963) ...

> Sorry, PAT. It was the week before Thanksgiving.

> The assassination was on a Friday and I was in school. There is no
>school on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Ergo...

> Cheers,

> Henry

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Maybe you are correct; it was a long
> time ago (as you and I both know in our ancient ages!)

Simple fact-checking would show that Kennedy died on November 22, 1963.
A 1963 calendar shows:

   November 1963
 S  M Tu  W Th  F  S
                1  2
 3  4  5  6  7  8  9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

November 21, the Thursday before the shooting, was only the *third*
Thursday of the month.


> Something I am
> not clear on, however: Thanksgiving is always a variable date holiday.
> It _always_ comes on Thursday, but is it the _last_ Thursday in 
> November or the _fourth_ Thursday in November (sometimes there are
> five Thursdays.)? 

A Google search for "thanksgiving holidy date" would answer your question,
*without* a need to clutter up the telecom newsgroup with off-topic ,
irrelevant, jabber.

Per federal legislation enactged in 1941, in the U.S.A.,  Thanksgiving is
the FOURTH THURSDAY in November.

> I know that now and again merchants complain when
> there is a 'late Thanksgiving' as they get 'cheated' out of a week
> of Christmas sales. What is the exact rule?

Set by law. Take it to a legal discussion group.   :)

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

Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:36:39 -0700
From: Anthony Bellanga <anthonybellanga@notchur.biz
Subject: Re: JFK Assassination


Pat Townson wrote:

> Just as a historical note, it was forty-two years ago this weekend
> (Thanksgiving weekend, 1963) that President Kennedy was gunned down
> in a motorcade in Dallas, TX.

Actually, it was the weekend before Thanksgiving weekend of 1963.
Kennedy was shot on Friday 22 November 1963, the funeral being on
Monday 25 November 1963. You still had three more days until
1963's Thanksgiving on Thursday 28 November 1963.

> [...] Friday about 11:00 AM at the moment of his assassination,

The assassination occurred at approximately 12:30pm (afternoon)
Central Standard Time, in Dallas TX (same time zone as Chicago),
give or take a few minutes.

The radio and television networks started breaking into local
programming (or in the case of CBS Television, broke into the
live network presentation of "As the World Turns" for the Eastern
and Central time zones, CBS-TV breaking into whatever network reruns
were airing earlier in the morning (clock time) on the Pacific Coast
along with whatever NBC-TV and ABC-TV were also airing on the
West Coast at 10:30am PST), with the first bulletins, approximately
1:35pm EST, 12:35pm CST, 11:35pm MST, 10:35pm PST, give or take
some minutes.

With the technology of the day, the first news bulletins on the
TV-side were simply "slide-cards" for the video (CBS NEWS BULLETIN,
etc), with a voice-over (newsman Walter Cronkite for CBS-TV,
perennial announcer Don Pardo for NBC-TV). Vacuum tube technology
was still in use to a great extent (even though the three Bell Labs
physicists who won the Nobel Prize has invented the transistor back
in 1948), and the TV networks didn't keep the newsroom live cameras
warmed up until about a half-hour before their evening newscasts,
although they did have a small studio for their afternoon five-minute
newscast updates following "To Tell the Truth" (CBS) or "The Match
Game" (NBC). They did have "slide cards" set up being scanned by live
video-cams specifically designed for 16-mm or 35-mm motion picture
film or slides. But it wasn't until later on into the incident, after
the first slide-card/voice-over bulletins, that the three TV networks
could go fully live with video of a newsman or announcer, and even
later until they could get everything hooked up to have reports
live from Dallas TX.

Some of NBC's "we switch you now to our NBC-TV affiliate,
WBAP-TV Ft.Worth/Dallas for another report", were actually telecast
and fed in living color. NBC-TV's own reports from New York and
Washington DC were in Black & White, but the pick-ups from WBAP-TV
Ft.Worth/Dallas (at least the first few) were in color.

A lot of credit has to be given to the newsmen with the three TV
networks, the four radio networks (don't forget about Mutual), the wire
services (AP, UPI, etc), and... AT&T and its Bell operating companies
(and various independent connecting carriers) for their fast work
in gathering the news and reporting it to the best of their ability
considering the technology of the day, and for the technical resources
(co-ax, microwave, etc) as well. And not to forget the local radio and
TV stations (both network affiliates and independent stations), as well
as the staffs of the major newsmagazines and local newspapers throughout
the country for their newsgathering and reporting, based on what we
"knew" at that time.

- Anthony Bellanga

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Holiday Observances Phone Rates (was Re: Kennedy)
Date: 28 Nov 2005 12:39:31 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note:

> And do you remember when Memorial Day used to _always_ be May 30, no
> matter what day of the week it was? If it came on Sunday sometimes,
> then we kids in school felt 'cheated' because we did not get an
> extra holiday from school.  But if it fell on Wednesday, our parents
> felt 'cheated' since it was impossible to drive any distance on
> holiday and get back home on the same day (so as to not miss next
> day's work or kid's school day, etc.)  PAT]

Some years ago they passed a Monday holiday law, switching the date of
a number of national holidays so they would always be on a Monday,
creating a three day weekend.  That includes Martin Luther King Day,
Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, and Columbus Day.  Veteran's Day,
Independence Day, Christmas, and New Years remain observed on their
actual day.  Thanksgiving and Labor Day were already on day of week.

Roughly speaking, workers have seen a gradual cutback in the number of
holidays they get a day off from work.  There were always the big
5--NY, Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, and Christmas,
that everyone got off (except critical personnel).  Over time, some
employers began to give off Washington's birthday, King's birthday and
Veteran's Day in addition.  More generous employers threw in Columbus
Day and Good Friday.

Historically, if a major holiday fell on the weekend, the nearest
Monday or Friday would be given off.

Nowadays employers seem a lot tighter and grant only the major day
off.  Many retailers are open on holidays, even Thanksgiving,
Christmas, and New Years, and expect people to work.

The phone company would grant weekend rate reductions on certain major
holidays.  However, when a day was celebrated on an alternate day
(such as everything being closed on Monday July 5 in celebration of
Independence Day instead of on Sunday 7/4), the phone company did not
give discounts on the alternate day, weekday rates were charged which
could be steep.

Today, I've discovered cell phone companies are very tricky when it
comes to giving weekend rates during holidays.  My own plan is
supposed to do that, but I've learned that in practice they don't and
I must call and complain if I make a day call on a major holiday
(because my day rate is very steep I have to be watch).  I notice
today's ads have no asterisk on weekends denoting what holidays
constitute weekend rates, if any.

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


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