Monday, August 21, 2006
Text messages, ring tones all the rage in Iraq
By RAWYA RAGEH -- Associated Press
It's not a news update. It's Omar Abdul Kareem's relentlessly beeping cell phone - and one of the 20 or so humorous text messages he gets every day from his friends.
In a city bereft of entertainment, text messaging and swapping ringtones are all the rage for young Iraqis trying to lighten their lives. Most restaurants, cafes and movies have closed due to the country's security situation...
Cell phone shops, the only crowded stores these days, sell special CDs with ringtones at about $2 apiece. Collections of short jokes especially written for texters are best-sellers...
"It's not like there's much to do around here," Abdul Kareem said. "It's perhaps the only venue to express ourselves."
The suave 22-year-old security guard carries a cutting-edge Nokia 3250 with a camera and twisting base. He used to buy $60 worth of prepaid phone cards a month to text with his girlfriend - until they broke up.
After sending her a lot of "I miss you" texts, he's moved on. Now he sends his aunt dozens of jokes, most of them at the expense of ethnic Kurds.
The daily reality of violence and explosions has influenced every aspect of Iraqi life - including love notes. "I send you the tanks of my love, bullets of my admiration and a rocket of my yearning," one popular message reads.
A popular ringtone features the music from Coolio's "Gangsta's
The song concludes with: "My days are over and I'm gonna die/all I need is chili fries"...
- 30 -
Yes, I'm back from vacation but easing into things with this real but whacky story.
The line about jokes "at the expense of ethnic Kurds" caught my interest, so I googled a couple up for your enjoyment:
- Their is a Kurd on an Iraqi Airways Jet. Suddenly, there is commotion and the Kurd is told that the plane is going to explode, the Kurd replies: "I could'nt care less the jet belongs to the government."
- The curfew in Baghdad starts at 11 pm. A Kurd who had joined the new Iraqi National guard was manning a check point. Around 10:30, this guardsman sees a man walking in a hurry. He aims and shoots the guy. The guy drops dead. The officer in charge of the guardsman came running. “What have you done? It’s only half past ten, you fool”. The guard replies in a cool tone, “There is no problem, sir. I know that man and I know where he lives. He couldn’t possibly make it home before 11”.
Some original material later today.
posted by Mentok @ 11:16 a.m.,
1 Comments:
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At 5:10 p.m.,
Bathroom Hippo said...
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Classic Mentokery!
