What does New Gingrich's ringtone say about him?

Newt Gingrich’s ringtone made headlines recently at an event in Nevada. Politico reporter Ginger Gibson wrote: “Gingrich’s cell phone then began ringing in his pocket, playing Dancing Queen by Abba. It was the full version, complete with words, and played the chorus twice before shutting itself off." Gingrich made no attempt to turn it off. [via The Wasington Post]

"What your ringtone says about you" is always a huge favorite of mine. I would say Newt Gingrich chose Abba, because he probably likes the group (who doesn't). It's age appropriate for him (they were hot in the 70s) but still immensely popular today because of the Broadway revival Mama Mia followed by the hit movie. The music is upbeat and appeals to all ages and all demographics. Safe choice.

Image credit.

Obama's a cappella performance of Al Green hit as a ringtone

President Obama's recent impromptu a cappella performance of Al Green's hit "Let's Stay Together" at a fundraiser at the Apollo Theater in New York last week is now available as a ringtone on his official website:

President Obama was inspired to sing a bit of Al Green during a recent campaign stop at the Apollo Theater. And now you can have his rendition of "Let's Stay Together" as a ringtone.

[via Rolling Stone]

Musical dissent with Myxer's Anti SOPA ringtone

Mobile entertainment site Myxer has released a more musical form of dissent. CNet reports.

Myxer's free Stop the SOPA! ringtone launches a rap-style rant about SOPA over a funky backbeat.

The ringtone, created and produced by Myxer staff, has the following lyrics:

Let me share with you something that is dear to me,
And that is taking away our rights and the right to be free,
We need to join together to end all this misery,
And stop the SOPA from ever happening.

They're trying to censor the Internet--that's the dumbest thing I've heard,
Why is Congress acting like an uptight nerd?
That doesn't matter right now we need to stop this bill,
And show the Internet some love instead of watching it be killed...
***Operator Noise***
Sorry, this ringtone cannot go on due to government standards and has been taken down.

Rick Perry camp creates Romney 'I like being able to fire people' ringtone

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is not only making headlines over his controversial comment about liking to fire people during a campaign stop in New Hampshire. Thanks to the Rick Perry camp, he’s also making ringtones. Washington Examiner reports.

The latest jab in the GOP presidential race comes from Perry camp, which created the ”I like being able to fire people” ringtone available for download on his website.

Interesting, the link leads to a error page, ringtone seems to have disappeared for now.

[via Washington Examiner]

Wrong ringtone can get you killed in Afghanistan

The New York Daily News picks up on the WSJ article on how the wrong ringtone can get you killed in the unpredictable and dangerous world of Afghanistan.

Thugs at Taliban checkpoints will often check the cells of travelers for hints of their allegiance.

If you ringtone is Lady Gaga, for instance, the militant group might view it as pro-American and react with hostility or even deadly violence.

As a result, many residents are forced to stock up on Taliban-friendly ringtones in case they are stopped at checkpoints.

Ironically, the miltant group’s ringtones are not hard to find.

The Taliban have 40 singers that produce on average of one 12-song album every month, a spokesperson for the group tells the Wall Street Journal. An Afghan shopkeeper uploads Taliban songs and ringtones into customers' phones for $2, The Journal reports. And business is good.

Read more.

Related:

-- For Safety, Afghan Travelers Upload Taliban Ringtones

-- Ringtones single out Talibans

-- Kirkuk Ringtones Reflect Rivalries

-- In Iraq, having the wrong ringtone can get you killed

-- Baghdad Brigade Sunni militia look for mobile phones with “unIslamic” ringtones

For Safety, Afghan Travelers Upload Taliban Ringtones

Fearing Taliban retribution in the countryside, Afghan officials, police, translators and others are uploading Taliban ringtones to their cellphones, and scrubbing the phones of links to the coalition and government. The Wall Street Journal reports.

Afghans who travel beyond the capital say insurgents have forced Afghans to eat SIM cards, broken phones on owners' heads and interrogated travelers for hours about their contacts with foreigners.

"If you are going 30 or 60 miles outside of Kabul, you will surely find Taliban on the road," said a member of President Hamid Karzai's government. "If you have Indian music or Afghan music ringtones, they will tell you that you are not obeying Islamic rules and, in most cases, break our mobiles."

Read full article. Image above left, Nasratullah Niazai, in his Kabul shop. He sells Taliban videos and ringtones for customers to show on cellphones.

Related articles:

-- Ringtones single out Talibans

-- Kirkuk Ringtones Reflect Rivalries

-- In Iraq, having the wrong ringtone can get you killed

-- Baghdad Brigade Sunni militia look for mobile phones with “unIslamic” ringtones

Voter ringtones

The Winnipeg Free Press is offering ringtones to their readers to remind them to vote in the local elections coming up October 4.

Created by Reporter Bartley Kives and multimedia editor Tyler Walsh, you can listen here: One is a polite reminder to vote. Another is less polite. The third, well, it's downright rude.

Funny.

Mubarak's 'Not Guilty' turned into a ringtone

From ABC News:

For Egyptians who want the glee of seeing former President Hosni Mubarak lying in a hospital bed in his courtroom cage to last a bit longer, they can now carry it with them on their cell phones.

Ringtones of the few low, growly words the deposed leader spoke at the start of his trial on Wednesday are now available for download courtesy of a website that has posted three different versions.

The first is the judge calling on Mubarak by his full name -- Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak -- followed by Mubarak responding, "I am here, your honor."

Another has Mubarak's response to the charges of corruption and complicity in the murder of around 850 protesters during the 18-day revolution that led to his downfall:

"I categorically deny all the charges."

The newspaper Al Ahram reports that the ringtones have become popular among Egyptians.

Read full article.

Related:

-- Ring tones--the new protest songs

-- It is my voice on poll tape (and ringtone), admits embattled Arroyo

-- From ring tones to car horns? Only in the Philippines

-- Filipinos clamour for scandalous mobile ringtone

-- Ringtones express widespread disgust over (Ms Arroyo's) obvious poll fraud

-- Wiretapped Voice Latest Ringtone Craze

Other examples of ringtones used for political purposes:

-- Riot Tones

-- India. Patriotic Ringtones and Prime Minister Voice mail used in campaign

-- USA. Political ringtones from Ringtone JukeBox

-- USA. Jabbertones's political voice tones

-- USA. Presidential Voice Tones

Nazi theme removed from iTunes

Apple removed a notorious anthem of the Nazi Party from the German version of its iTunes online music store on Wednesday, a German spokesman for the US firm told Reuters.

Named after a young party activist killed in 1930, the marching song Horst Wessel Lied, was the unofficial anthem of the Nazis until it was banned in Germany at the end of World War II.

The Apple spokesman said it had been taken off iTunes but did not say if other Nazi-era songs had also been removed.

Read full article.

Ugandan President raps for elections on YouTube and in ringtones

The Wall Street Journal on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, up for re-election, gone rapper on YouTube in an attempt to strike a chord with youth.

In a music video that's gone viral, Uganda's hottest new rapper whips up crowds with his chant: "You want another rap?" The crowd responds: "Ye Sebo!" or, Yes, sir!

Dressed in a suit and tie as he delivers his lines from a podium, this video sensation isn't exactly Jay-Z.

Despite his unlikely rapping role, Uganda's president does appear to have a genuine following.

Mr. Museveni's rap plays on radio stations in Uganda, with his video garnering tens of thousands of views on YouTube in a single day. Ugandan telecom companies have made the song into ringtones.

Read full article.

Crying Baby Ringtone to deter teen pregnancy

To help fight teen pregnancy, Milwaukee has launched school programs and aggressive awareness campaigns - that are working.

According to Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee's teen birthrate - "the second highest in the nation less than a decade ago- is dropping at a pace that could put it near the much lower state average by 2015, according to data released Wednesday by public health officials".

One of the campaign ideas that caught my eye. A new fake ringtone of a crying baby to get the message across about teen pregnancy.

Related: babycanwait website.

Newspaper offers llinois governor Rod Blagojevich ringtones

The State Journal-Register newspaper in Springfield, Ill., is offering to bring its readers a little closer to the ousted llinois governor Rod Blagojevich every time they reach for their cell by offering Blagojevich ringtones.

In their own words:

Now you can enjoy the profanity-laced tirades of Illinois’ least-favorite son when you’re on the go. Like “Only thirteen percent of you all out there think I’m doing a good job. So (expletive) all of you.”

[via USA Today]

Musicians in tune with Colombian political campaign

Presidential campaigns are known for attaching themselves to popular songs and prominent artists. But in Colombia, the opposite has occurred, as emerging artists and even established hitmakers seek out candidates and donate music to help get them elected. Entertainment TV reports.

Music permeates the campaigns of front-runner Juan Manuel Santos of the National Unity Social Party (Partido de la U) and former Bogota mayor Antanas Mockus of the Green Party, with both candidates featuring free downloadable songs, ringtones and video links on their official websites and YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

... Since campaigning started in March, Alvarez says Mockus has received more than 1,000 original songs, many accompanied by original videos. Mockus' official campaign site features 22 of those songs, including "Antanas Llego" (Antanas Arrived), written by Mil Santos, a Colombian living in Germany who performs the tropical-flavoured indie-pop track with German singer Nica Tea.

Read full article.

Russia's Victory Day This Year Aimed At Youth As Well As Veterans

As tanks and missile launchers drive through Red Square during the massive parade celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany this weekend, the government has made a number of attempts to educate young people about the war - including launching patriotic ringtones.

[via Radio Free Europe]

Ringtones single out Talibans

From The Financial Times:

While difficult to differentiate the Taliban and their sympathisers from ordinary villagers out for an evening stroll, it is their mobile phone ringtones that give them away.

Ringtones featuring Islamic religious hymns have become a distinctive hallmark of the Taliban and other hardliners averse to music they consider unIslamic.

Related:

-- Kirkuk Ringtones Reflect Rivalries

-- In Iraq, having the wrong ringtone can get you killed

-- Baghdad Brigade Sunni militia look for mobile phones with “unIslamic” ringtones

Communist Ringback Tones

State-controlled mobile service providers in China are offering communist ringback tone music, the tone that you hear while waiting for someone to pick up the line.

According to Trendhunter, the song played instead of the waiting tone is called ‘Guo Jia,’ which means ‘Country’ in Chinese.

These ringback tones were made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China.

Judge Sotomayor-themed ringtones

The mobile music site mSpot has come up with the perfect playlist in honor of Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment to the Supreme Court.

mSpot says, "the beauty of these ringtones is that mSpot.com allows you to edit up to 30 seconds of your favorite law-abiding tone – you don’t have to download what the carrier pre-selected."

[Politico.com via Infrastructure]

AT&T Workers Create “Ready to Strike” Ringtone

The union representing AT&T workers has created a "Ready to Strike" song and ringtone, just in case negotiations fail over demands for huge health care cuts.

A performance by Toronto hip-hop artist Riley Wallace, who sang an earlier version of the lyrics for a rally, is up on YouTube. The lyrics include the lines "Get ready to strike, get ready to walk the line" and "Realize, recognize, mobilize, stay alive."

Listen here.

[The WSJ via SmartBrief]

'Reactionary' Ringtones Spark Arrests In Tibet

Police in Tibet have swept markets in recent months looking for banned music. Chinese state media report that police have arrested several suspects for allegedly downloading to their cell phones music that the government considers "reactionary." npr reports.

Woeser, who goes by only one name like many Tibetans, is one of Tibet's most outspoken authors. Recently, the Beijing-based writer has been blogging about the hidden world of reactionary ringtones, subversive songs and dissident downloads.

... But even before digitized music and cell phones arrived in the Himalayan highlands, there was already a tradition of protest music.

Kirkuk Ringtones Reflect Rivalries

In Kirkuk, Irak, ringtones identify ethnic and religious affiliations in a bitterly contested city. From the Institute for war & peace reporting.

In Iraq’s most diverse and disputed province, mobile phone ringtones play a big part in the politics of identity. Kirkuk contains most of Iraq’s many religious and ethnic groups, and has been described as everything from a colourful bouquet of flowers to a powderkeg.

Related:

-- In Iraq, having the wrong ringtone can get you killed

-- Baghdad Brigade Sunni militia look for mobile phones with “unIslamic” ringtones

Inaugural Ringers Commemorate Historic Speech

At ObamaRingers.com, you can download four commemorative ringtones featuring excerpts from President Obama's swearing-in ceremony and historic speech.

The ringers are studio-composed and capture key inspirational points in President Obama's inaugural address with complementary background music created especially for these productions.

[via Press release]

Press ‘3’ for corruption

You can no longer buy a Senate seat from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, but you can buy “his” ringtones. [via DC examiner]

FunMobility.com, a company based in Pleasanton, Calif., has released five new “Blagotones” that allow you — like Blagojevich — to appear totally sketchy while — unlike Blagojevich — avoiding federal prosecution.

Two of the funniest ringtones are called “Wiretap” and have such quotes from an impersonator saying, “If I don’t get what I want ... I’ll just take the Senate seat myself” and “Our recommendation is to fire all the [expletive] people ... and get us some editorial support” (referring to Blagojevich’s alleged attempt to pressure the Chicago Tribune).

Another ringtone is set to Eminem’s “Slim Shady,” with the soon-to-be former governor answering a reporter’s question about having a cloud hanging over his head.

Click here to listen.

Vote for Obama ringtone

Vote for Obama ringtone on Myxer.

Free Sarah Palin Ringtones from FunMobility

Governor of Alaska and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's media sound bytes have been mashed byFun Mobility into six free ringtones.

Sarah Palin Tones Include:

-- Foreign Policy Experience
-- Lipstick on a Pig
-- Quiz Show: Palin's straight talk on the Bush Doctrine
-- Shore up the Economy
-- VIP Nominee
-- Blizzard of words

[via Wireless and Mobile News]

India's condom ring tone a huge global hit

The 'condom a cappella' ringtone, launched last month to promote safe sex in India, has already received 257,744 SMS requests for download and over two million hits on the website, according to Sify.

"The ring tone can be downloaded by SMSing "CONDOM" to 56887 (download charges apply) or free from anywhere worldwide on the website www.condomcondom.org. The ring tone has been composed by Rupert Fernandes and sung by Vijay Prakash.

"As it became international news, there has been demand for it from all corners of the globe," said an excited Yvonne MacPherson, Country Director of the BBC World Service Trust, the international charity of the BBC., who got calls from radio stations from across the US and Britain. "

Listen here

Previously: Condom a cappella ringtone promotes safe sex

Slate offers Free Political Ringtones

Slate is offering free political ringtones.

You can choose to hear John McCain say, "My friends," every time you get a call. Or if you're in a less friendly mood, you can switch to Hillary's "Shame on you, Barack Obama!" ring tone.

To get a ring tone, send a text message with one of the order codes listed below to the number 98999. For the Hillary laugh, for example, text SLATE LAUGH to the number 98999.

Or if you just want to listen, click here and scroll down.

[via Gawker]

Rock The Vote celebrity ringtones

The AT&T and Rock the Vote campaign will feature exclusive celebrity ringtones that promote the importance of voting, text-polling, reports from student journalists and event sponsorships, among other initiatives.

Rock the Vote's mission is to build the political clout and engagement of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country. Rock the Vote uses music, popular culture and new technologies to engage and incite young people to register and vote in every election.

[via CNN]

American-backed killer militias strut across Iraq

Carrying their weapons, the Knights of Ameriya, claiming to be part of the Baghdad Brigade Sunni militia funded by the American forces, went from one class to the next in an Ameriya school last week, looking for mobile phones with “unIslamic” ringtones. One child with a pop music ringtone was slapped and kicked in the legs as a warning to the others.

The Times Online reports.

"Members of the Baghdad Brigade receive $300 a man each month from the Americans, who also provide vehicles, uniforms and flak jackets. In return the brigade keeps out Al-Qaeda, dismantles roadside bombs and patrols the area, a task performed with considerable swagger by many of its 4,000 recruits.

... US-backed Sunni militias have spread eastwards from Anbar across Baghdad. They already number 77,000, known collectively as “concerned local citizens”. This is more than the Shi’ite Mahdi Army and nearly half the number in the Iraqi army.

Exotically named groups such as the Knights of Ameriya and the Guardians of Ghazaliya strut the streets in camouflage uniforms, brandishing new AK47s that the Americans say they have not supplied. "

Related: - In Iraq, having the wrong ringtone can get you killed

King's outburst generates $2m-worth of ringtones

When the Spanish king Juan Carlos turned to Hugo Chavez and said to him, a touch irritably, "Por qué no te callas!" /"Why don't you shut up?"), little did he know that his breach of diplomatic protocol would become a smash hit across the country, or that those five famous words would become a multi-million euro business, selling ringtones, mugs, T-shirts and websites. The Guardian reports.

According to David Bravo, a lawyer specialising in IT law and intellectual property, "the use of the sentence 'why don't you shut up?' in ringtones ... is a violation of his image rights".

An estimated 500,000 people have already downloaded the ringtone, generating around €1.5m (£1m or $2.2m), but many companies have circumvented any potential problems over rights by using an actor's voice instead of the king's.

Over 700 videos have appeared on YouTube, with parodies ranging from a Benny Hill sketch to a Nike advert featuring the Brazilian star Ronaldinho, which ends: "Juan do it. Just shut up."

Related:

-- King Juan Carlos losing his temper a big hit on YouTube

-- King Juan Carlos "Por qué no te callas!" ringtone

King Juan Carlos "Por qué no te callas!" ringtone

Five words – “Why don’t you shut up!” - have catapulted King Juan Carlos, the Spanish monarch, to internet stardom, and driven Spain’s relations with Latin America to a new low, according to the FT.

... The unprecedented spectacle of King Juan Carlos losing his temper is a big hit on YouTube this week. “Por qué no te callas!” has also become a popular ring-tone for mobile phones in Spain as well as a rallying cry for Mr Chávez’s opponents in Venezuela."

Presidential ringtones

Campaign financing site Your Billion Dollar President has created downloadable ringtones for Bill Richardson, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Dennis Kucinich, and yes, Ron Paul, whose ringtone takes a cue from "Rawhide."

The site also has a "how to" for creating and submitting your own ringtones, should you have the perfect tune for the handfull of Duncan Hunter supporters.

[via AppScout ]

Related:

-- Barak Obama's political soundtones

-- Other politic ringtone links

Ring-Tone Politics

The New York Times' Caucus on the Obama ringtone offer. Followed by the blog's quick survey to see if other campaigns were getting in on the action:

-- The Clinton campaign hasn’t set that oh-so-popular Celine Dion song (and former Air Canada jingle) to a ring tone yet.

-- John Edwards – whose campaign boasts all sorts of interactive connections to young voters on the Web – isn’t offering any rings. “That just seems really unusual to me,” said the staff member who answered the phone at John Edwards’s headquarters.

-- Katie Roberts, the spokeswoman for Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign, seemed more amenable. “I didn’t know that,” she said. “That’s pretty cool.”

RingTones Poised to Become the Political Bumper Stickers of the 2008 Election

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes well-chosen short political sound bites can rally a cause, make us laugh, and even sway an election.

Now RingTones08.com introduces a free site that lets people easily create and share ringtones about the upcoming 2008 elections.

Ringtones08 makes it quick and easy to create ringtones and broadcast opinions - from any political persuasion - about national or local candidates, issues, get out the vote, or any other subject dealing with the 2008 election. To post a ringtone, users simply go to RingTones08.com, click on “Submit Your Tone” and follow the steps on MyxerTones’ site to upload their 20 second audio file.

[via e-mail press release]

Personalised ringtone could help Brown reach youth

Great Britain's new Prime Minister Gordon Brown is being encouraged to follow Barack Obama’s lead by recording personalised mobile ringtones to win-over politically apathetic 18-24 year olds.

Singtones let people record their favourite tracks, which are then ‘fixed’ so even the worst voices sound good. The final version, complete with backing track, is then sent as an mp3 file to mobile phones to use as a unique personalised ringtone and caller ID.

Brown isn’t noted for his singing voice, but Singtone’s unique technology will ensure he sounds in tune and in time, without losing that distinctive Scottish timbre.

[via e-mail press release]

More on Barak Obama's political soundtones

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obamabegan offering free ringtonesand wallpapers last week.

"The ringtones feature a techno beat along with lyrics like “Go, Obama, Obama!” or clips of speeches the Illinois senator has made on universal health care. They were formatted and delivered by Boston-based mobile technology boutique MStyle. The Boston Herald reports.

“It’s a way for Sen. Obama to reach out to a different audience,” said Nick Bogovich, director of technology for MStyle, a seven-person company based in Downtown Crossing.

Some of Obama’s ringtones seem downright wacky. One titled “Letter to Obama” simply goes, “Go! Go! Go! Obama, Obama, oh!”

Other ringtones feature snippets of speeches on topics like the Iraq War and health care. "

You can listen to them here.

Previously: - Free Obama ringtones to highlight candidate’s position on issues

Free Obama ringtones to highlight candidate’s position on issues

Alongside Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama’s campaign to launch a new text messaging initiative, campaign officials said they will use free ringtones and wallpapers to highlight the candidate’s positions and key statements on the war in Iraq, healthcare and other issues.

[via RCRNews]

Endangered wildlife ringtones

The endangered species advocates at the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity are offering ringtones of the croaks, chirps and songs of dozens of rare and endangered animals from around the world.

"Featured are the authentic sounds of some of the world’s most threatened owls, tropical birds, frogs, toads and marine mammals.

The free ringtones are easily downloaded from the Center’s Web site at Rare EarthTones.

Related:

-- The website of the Animal Voices at the Museum of Natural Science/Berlin

-- World's oldest conservation group and offers wildlife ringtones

-- More on animal noises made in the wild from The British Library

-- "Gorilla beating its chest" ringtone, courtesy of The British Library

Greenpeace launches activist ringtone to save oceans

Supported by a South Park animation, Greenpeace is using a special ringtone and text alert sound in its campaign for a moratorium on bottom trawling in the ocean. Mike Grenville for 160characters.org reports.

... "Greenpeace says that at the moment, the EU, under the influence of Spain as well as Canada, are opposed to this and developed the viral cartoon and ringtone campaign to remind supporters to take action.

The free MP3 format ringtones and an SMS alert of "Oh my God, they killed Squiddy!" can be downloaded here: Blame Canada Ringtone."

Other examples of ringtones used for political purposes:

-- "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" ringtone:

-- Riot Tones. The new bumper sticker?

-- Ring tones--the new protest songs

-- India. Patriotic Ringtones and Prime Minister Voice mail used in campaign

-- USA. Political ringtones from Ringtone JukeBox

-- USA. Jabbertones's political voice tones

-- USA. Presidential Voice Tones

Related articles to Hello Garcia / Gloria Arroyo ringtones:

-- It is my voice on poll tape (and ringtone), admits embattled Arroyo

-- From ring tones to car horns? Only in the Philippines

-- Filipinos clamour for scandalous mobile ringtone

-- Ringtones express widespread disgust over (Ms Arroyo's) obvious poll fraud

-- Wiretapped Voice Latest Ringtone Craze

cellphone ring tones all the rage among young Iraqis

In a city bereft of entertainment, text messaging and swapping ringtones are all the rage for young Iraqis trying to lighten their lives and political ringtones are popular. USA Today reports.

"Cellphone 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."

A popular ringtone features the music from Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise. But the local version includes a voice similar to Saddam's rapping in English: "I'm Saddam, I don't have a bomb/Bush wants to kick me/I don't know why/smoking weed and getting high/I know the devil's by my side."

The song concludes with: "My days are over and I'm gonna die/all I need is chili fries" as a crowd yells "Goodbye forever, may God curse you."

Competing with Saddam for the most popular song in Iraq today is Iraqi pop star Hossam al-Rassam — "Ma, I've been stung by a scorpion." Its sensual lyrics challenge widespread conservatism in Iraq by talking about a girl's lips and perfume "that make you live longer."

In Iraq, having the wrong ringtone can get you killed

In a very interesting article, TIME looks at how Iraqis are changing their identities to survive — and why just having the wrong first name, the wrong accent, praying a certain way or having the wrong political ringtone - can get you killed.

"It's indicative of the danger of daily life in Baghdad these days that the very basis of your identity can mark you for death.

Shi'ites and Sunnis share a common ethnicity and have a hard time telling themselves apart. And so the killers rely on a cruder vetting process: choosing victims based on their first name, which for many Iraqis is their only religiously distinguishing characteristic.

Websites like the Iraqi League offer survival technique for those in the line of fire.

They offer detailed tips on how Sunnis can pass themselves off as Shi'ites—like how to pray in public places (there are small differences between the Shi'ite and Sunni postures), or how to acquire a southern Iraqi accent (the majority of southerners are Shi'ite).

... And they are warned against using mujahedin anthems as ringtones on their cell phones, a practice common among sympathizers of the Sunni insurgency. There's also useful advice on how and where to get a fake ID."

A song to promote Net Neutrality - for your cell phone

Jill Sobule, Kay Hanle and Michelle Lewis, three independent singers and songwriters have teamed for a special song that promotes “Net Neutrality”, reports 21talks.

The song, entitled “God save the Internet”, launched on savetheinternet.com, can be downloaded - or listened to - here.

Lyrics (first strophe)

Hey Mr. Telecom Man
Go-od Save the Internet
Don't change my reality
Keep that neutrality
Go-od save the Internet

All I want to be is free to choose
Where I get my music and I get my news
Where I hook up with a creep or I buy my shoes
Don't bring me down
It's an old timer tale about moderness
Where some of them folks in our congress
Want to send us back to days of the poney express
And slow our speediness
Hey Mr. Telecom Man
God Save the Internet
Don't change my reality
Keep that neutrality,
Go-od save the Internet

Download the MP3 version on your cell phone as a political statement!

Related:

-- House Rejects Net Neutrality

-- Net Neutrality Advocates

-- SaveTheInternet.com Coalition Statement.

-- A call for Internet Black Out

-- Links to other examples of political ringtones

"Call Connected Thru The NSA" ringtone

They Might Be Giants offers three ringtone choices, "Phone Phone Phone", "Ring Ring" and new, "Call Connected Thru The NSA" - with arresting and uh, timely lyrics.

Call connected to the NSA / complete transmition to the NSA/ suspending your rights for the duration of the permanent war.

The tracks were created by the band at the end of a TMBG album session with the legendary Pat Dillet.

[via YESbutNobutYes via [BB-Blog]]

Related political ringtones:

USA
-- "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" ringtone

-- Ring tones--the new protest songs

-- Riot Tones. The new bumper sticker?

Philippines
-- It is my voice on poll tape (and ringtone), admits embattled Arroyo (Philippines)

-- From ring tones to car horns? Only in the Philippines

-- Filipinos clamour for scandalous mobile ringtone

-- Ringtones express widespread disgust over (Ms Arroyo's) obvious poll fraud

-- Wiretapped Voice Latest Ringtone Craze

Elsewhere
-- The ringtone is the new bumper sticker (World)

-- Israeli election ringtones make a splash

The ringtone is the new bumper sticker

Religious ringtones -- and ringback tones -- are growing in popularity throughout the world amongst people of faith, informs National Ledger.

Whether it is gospel music, or a Contemporary Christian, chart-topping hit, or the tones of a muezzin calling out five prayer times a day, mobile carriers are offering religious-based ringtones.

Even the secular humanists seem to be getting into the trend. "We have a whole series of socially responsible ring tones -- with anti-poverty and anti-animal cruelty themes," Andy Nulman, from ringtone developer Airborne Entertainment. "The ringtone is the new bumper sticker, or the new protest sign, raising your message above the crowd, letting them know what you think."

Next week, socially responsible themed ringtones, called "Just Cause", will be launched at a trade show for the cellular industry, said Nulman, noting that the message of one of the ringtones is, "Every 3.6 seconds, someone dies of hunger."

Overseas, the trend is growing too. In the UK a Christian text-messaging service called UCB Mobile sends prayers by SMS to the faithful, as well as receives prayer requests. Another firm, based in Dubai, developed a mobile phone, which included a compass, to tell the owner which direction to turn to pray to Mecca. Another provider has developed a mobile-phone service for Orthodox Jews in Israel, which garnered some attention recently during the election for a successor for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

A study showed that belief-oriented services may be particularly popular among 13- to 18-year-olds. "The pessimism of Generation X and the exuberant self-reliance of early Gen Y has given way to a new ethos," said the Energy BBDO study of 3,322 teenagers in 13 countries spanning the globe.

Israeli election ringtones make a splash

Cellcom, the mobile operator, said that Shas, the small, right-wing, ultra-Orthodox party's ringtone garnered 30 percent of the 3,000 downloads requested since the company made the ringtones available on its Web site last week, according to PhysOrg.com.

"During election season, the Israeli government grants equal television air time to each party running for seats in the country's parliament, the Knesset. The commercials invariably feature jingles, which Cellcom made available as downloadable ringtones.

The win wasn't a total surprise to Cellcom. A musical version of an ultra-Orthodox prayer had already proven a popular ringtone download for the company, the news site said.

Second place in the ringtone race went to Meretz, Shas' polar opposite on the political spectrum. "

More on Political Ringtones in Ringtonia.com.

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" ringtone

boingboing picks up on John Borland's article on protest tones and George Bush's words of praise for former FEMA director Michael Brown - a satirical voice tone on his incompetency in handling the situation in New Orleans following the floods.

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job," he says, and Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans" starts playing under the looped quote. The remark is a snippet from a speech Bush made in the flooded southern city, in which he praised Federal Emergency Management Agency head Michael Brown shortly before Brown resigned.

The homemade ring tone, a pointed political statement, is the creation of Eric Gundersen, a Washington-area Web developer for nonprofits. It's an early take on the genre of protest ring tones, a grassroots practice now picking up steam in the United States after emerging in the Philippines a few months ago."