It's an indication of how slavish we've become to the Mighty Telephone that no matter what we are doing, if our 'phone rings, we feel compelled to answer it - unless you work in my doctors surgery, but that's a whole other jar of worms. Have you never stood in line at a store or bank and wished the tellers would just answer the damned telephone?!

There are places where 'phones should not be available. A courtroom does not have a telephone in it, so why should mobiles/cells be permitted. The only time a judge needs to hear a telephone is when he's waiting in the execution chamber for the call to tell him 'stay'. If you were meant to receive 'phone calls during a trial, a movie, surgery, religious services etc, then there would be one in the room. If there is no telephone in the room, then it's fair to say it's a room for doing things that don't need 'phones and mobiles/cells come under that category.

LTS