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To: Maurice Winn who wrote (47411)	3/17/2004 7:38:33 AM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 74559

Mobile Phones Play Role in Election Defeat of Spain's Aznar March 17 (Bloomberg) -- Mobile phones helped Spain's Socialist Party rise to power in Sunday's general elections as citizens used their handsets to organize instant protests against the government's handling of the Madrid train bombing. On Saturday, the number of text messages rose as Spaniards seeking information from Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's government on the bombings that killed 201 people used phones to organize demonstrations. Vodafone Group Plc's Spanish arm said its so-called short message service, or SMS, traffic jumped as much as 20 percent that day compared with an average Saturday. Spaniards were concerned the government was holding back information linking Thursday's attack to al-Qaeda because of Aznar's support for the war in Iraq. More than 90 percent of the population opposed the war. On a day when no electioneering is allowed under Spanish law, radio and TV broadcasts showed images of people shouting: ``Tell us the truth before we vote.'' ``The text messages had a clear impact on the elections,'' said Alfonso de la Quintana, a university professor at CEU in Madrid. ``The lack of information angered voters.'' The number of active handsets is equivalent to more than 90 percent Spain's population. Telefonica Moviles SA is the nation's largest mobile-phone company with about half of the market, followed by Vodafone's Spanish unit and Amena SA. Amena said the increase in messaging was 10 percent to 15 percent on Saturday. Telefonica Moviles, which handles about 25 million text messages a day, said there was no significant increase in messaging. Lost Lead The Socialists led by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, 43, won 164 seats in Spain's 350-seat congress, ending the Popular Party's eight-year rule. The Popular Party gained 148 seats, down from 183 seats in 2000. Before the elections, all polls published by Spain's main newspapers handed the victory to the ruling Popular Party. ``I was surprised by the fact the one single issue would have such a dramatic effect on the elections,'' said Stephen Jacobson, lecturer in European studies at King's College in London. ``Everyone was surprised, people thought it would just make them more even in the vote.'' One of the text messages that spread read: ``Intelligence services say it's 99 percent al-Qaeda. Silent concentration without banners at 6:00 at Genova Street,'' where Popular Party headquarters are in Madrid. It also said to ``pass it on.'' Other messages called for people to bang pots and pans in protest. Citizens in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities heeded the electronic messages. Pro-government text messages started spreading too. Professor Quintana received one saying: ``Dirty war from Socialists. The government tells truth. Don't let them fool you. For the victory over terrorism. Pass it on.'' Investigation Tool The use of wireless telephones is also at the center of the investigation to determine who carried out the bombing. Police have arrested three Moroccan and two Indian nationals identified after security forces found an unexploded bomb from the attack. The device contained a mobile phone used as a detonator, and by using the phone and the chip used to make it work, police identified the five who were involved in selling counterfeit handsets and cards to activate the bombs in the attack. Terrorists belonging to the Muslim terrorist group al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden were responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon, in which hijacked commercial aircraft were used as weapons. Unanswered Calls On the day of the attack on the four Madrid commuter trains, Telefonica Moviles asked clients to limit calls to avoid congestion on the wireless network. Amena, Spain's third-largest mobile-phone company, sent several antenna units to affected areas as voice traffic rose more than five-fold. Rescue workers on duty that day say the mobile phone calls they will remember most are the ones that went unanswered. ``The worst thing of all, when we had all the bodies out and on the platform, all you could hear was the sound of the dead people's mobiles telephones, their families trying in vain to contact them,'' Beatriz Martin, part of the rescue team at the El Pozo train station, said on the day of the attacks. To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Tobin in Madrid at ptobin@bloomberg.net To contact the editors on this story: Lars Klemming at lklemming@bloomberg.net; Zimri Smith at zsmith@bloomberg.net Last Updated: March 17, 2004 02:25 EST

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (47411)	3/17/2004 9:19:32 AM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74559

<<<Once again, having newbies being given the assets is the same as having the old people put in the attic while the rest of the house is taken over by a bunch of new residents who don't have to pay to acquire the property.>>> I know you are an intelligent person, but I am missing your point of view on this. The way I see it is that the old people should have been compensated for their contributions. Ideally, they lived wisely. Bought and own their homes and other property with their compensation (previous earnings) and should now live in retirement on some sort of pension. The newbies are allowed in to do the work the old people are not now able to do. They like your son in Canada contribute their youth, energy, and creativity to help make your society more competitive. They shouldn't be given anything. They should get in return whatever they contribute. Having said that, the world is not perfect, things get screwed up. People get screwed up. Old people and newbies get screwed up and can't take care of themselves. These peole should be in the vast minority. If your society has been ethical and good, there should be something left over and can be used for humanitarian purposes. Of course, if you live in a dirt poor society, there may not be anything left over for humanitarian purposes. In that case you are right. You should bar the door. Keep a lid on all your assets - and live out the rest of your life hunkered down. Mary