Mark Brader <msb@sq.com> (08/17/90)
This was in the July 23 issue of {Newsweek}:
It's well known that multiple telephones are a status symbol in Moscow.
But the perks are not without their pitfalls, even at the pinnacle of
Soviet power. While meeting in Moscow with top Kremlin official
Georgi Shakhnazarov, Iowa Rep. David Nagle noticed his host had
12 telephones on his desk. Nagle also noticed there were no lights
on the phones. "When one rings," he thought, "how does the guy know
which one to pick up?" He doesn't. Each time a phone rang during the
meeting, Shakhnazarov picked up one receiver after another until he
found the right one.
Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto
utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com