I agree with one message in this thread in which it was suggested that there may be no inherent problem with the use of cell phones per se--the problem is with people talking in inappropriate situations. If you have a circumstance in which normal conversation is permissible, there should be no problem with the use of a phone. After all, people are hearing only half of the conversation anyway. If a person is shouting into the phone, that's a problem. The other problem with phones is the ringing. They should not be turned on in situations where the ringing of a phone would disturb others. But in circumstances in which conversations are normally conducted--for example, in a restaurant, or while touring a museum as an individual (not part of a conducted tour group), there should be no problem. I would not ban phones when the real problem is inappropriate talking. David Haberstich ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).