I hear words I never heard in the Bible

Today was a busy day- made busier by getting a call at lunchtime from an ex-colleague, friend and client who wanted a job application letter checking over before the end of the afternoon. Normally I don't do (or get asked to do) rush jobs - but sometimes one should make an exception.
Twice in the afternoon I was interrupted by sales agents from KPN - telling me about all the wonderful discounts they would offer me if I signed up a contract until the end of December 2009 (only they didn't mention this bit until having asked me if I thought it was a good deal!). Twice in the same afternoon!! The first time I asked if they would take me off of their direct calls sales list - as I am tired of them pestering me with special offers on an almost monthly basis. (The only worse ones are people cold calling to ask if I have made plans for my funeral. What would they do if they called someone contemplating suicide? Are they trained in counselling?)On the second call from KPN I lost it (to my shame) shouted down the phone (in a combination of Dutch and English ) that I will change my telecoms company if they don't get off my case and that they can send details of any special offers in writing so I can read them and think about them.
I try to make a point of being polite to cold callers - I know they are either college students working their way through college or less qualified workers who resent their jobs and work under strict time and motion control procedures. But today was too much. Does anyone know how to get off their calling lists? In the UK there is a "Mailing Preference List" (which also applies to cold calls). "Mailing Preference List." Isn't that wonderful example of how the English obfuscate? I guess they couldn't have sold it as a voluntary code of behaviour to the industry if they called it the Junk Mail and Unwanted Sales Calls List. I only know about because my father regularly complained to me about getting unwanted calls and a bag full of junk mail every month. (It took him months to find something new to complain about after that). Does anything like that exist here?
Despite these interruptions I made good progress today - got my head around three
important Dutch verbs / construction forms in my Dutch lesson - got my friend's covering letter looking ship shape and worked out a protocol for dealing wth a particularly problematic mixture of English and French acronyms - used inconsistently thoughout a document. I've had my English, Dutch and French dictionaries spread acroos my desk already this week and feel like a real language worker!

It's like a ghost town here - 60% of the inhabitants must be away. Still it makes it a good time to get appointments for the dentist / optician/ hairdresser go to the bike repair shop etc. Also the perfect weather to go dipping in the Rhine.