hay dude maybe if we can come up with a number we can call our new friends in NEW ZEALAND. let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing." (I Peter 3: 7-9) ----- Original Message ----- From: Reginald George To: real-eyes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2006 5:00 PM Subject: [real-eyes] Free International Calling This is an exerpt from an article by David Pogue in the NY Times Circuits newsleter that is very important. Through this company, Future Phone, You can call numbers in 50 countries for free from your land line or cell phone, and it's perfectly legal. Please pass this information on. "Ever wonder why it is that FuturePhone, Radio Handi, FreeConferenceCall, and PartyLine Connect all have access numbers in the 712 area code? These services all provide 'free' services to you. There's 'no catch.' You just have to make a long distance call to get them. "So how do these services get paid, and why are the access numbers all in Iowa? The short answer is tax subsidies." He goes on to explain that our government gives the states money to help them with maintenance and improvements to local telephone plants. There's also an invisible tariff involved, amounting to three cents per minute collected by the *terminating* phone company. Alec speculates that Futurephone is performing a sort of tariff arbitrage. "Let's take FuturePhone as an example...All you have to do is call 712 858 8883 (a number provided by the tiny Superior Telephone Coop in Estherville, Iowa), and then enter the international call you want to make using the standard 011 prefix. "So how do they make money? ... Say that FuturePhone's cost to terminate the call is 1.25 cents. That leaves 1.75 cents per minute to split with the folks at Superior Telephone Coop. Give them half, which leaves you 0.875 cents per minute, and you've got a pretty attractive proposition ... Everybody wins! The good citizens of Iowa win (they've now got a fiber network joining up 150 of their independently owned telcos), FuturePhone has a seemingly profitable business model, and you win by getting cheap overseas calls." And, from the http://www.futurephone.com web site: How can I make International calls for free? Simply call one of the domestic USA phone numbers from your home, office or mobile phone to be connected to our gateway. Once it answers, dial in the number you want to reach. Make Your Call 1. Dial one of the Gateway access numbers listed in the box below on the left hand side. 2. When the gateway answers, enter 011 then the country code and number you want to reach (mobile users, do not hit SEND - the call will go through on it's own). For Canada dial 1 plus the area code and number. 3. Wait a few moments for your call to ring through and then enjoy your free call. No Signup necessary Complete privacy Unlimited calls Call anywhere anytime New Countries: MEXICO, CHINA HONG KONG, TAIWAN Available Free Countries ARGENTINA | AUSTRALIA | AUSTRIA BANGLADESH | BELGIUM BULGARIA | CANADA | CHILE | CHINA CHRISTMAS ISLAND | COCOS ISLANDS COLOMBIA | CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC| DENMARK ESTONIA | FINLAND | FRANCE GERMANY | GREECE | GUAM HONG KONG | 'HUNGARY | ICELAND IRELAND | ISRAEL | ITALY JAPAN | LUXEMBOURG | MALAYSIA MEXICO | MONACO | NETHERLANDS NEW ZEALAND | NORWAY | PANAMA PERU | POLAND | PORTUGAL PUERTO RICO | RUSSIA | SAN MARINO SINGAPORE | SOUTH KOREA | SPAIN SWEDEN | SWITZERLAND | TAIWAN THAILAND | TURKEY | UNITED KINGDOM US VIRGIN ISLANDS | VENEZUELA To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes To subscribe or to leave the list, or to set other subscription options, go to www.freelists.org/list/real-eyes