Alissa Skelton
Nareen, an 18-year-old Iraqi whose last name has been withheld for safety reasons, starred in Iraq’s first youth reality TV show called Salam Shabab to compete for the title of becoming an “Ambassador of Peace” last year. Salam Shabab is a competitive TV show with the ultimate goal of uniting Iraq through peace building.
The first step to peace building is getting Iraqis from different races, religions and geographical backgrounds to respect and understand each other and work together. Iraqis have immense local pride, but do not have a strong sense of nationalism. This could be due to the fact Iraq’s regions are divided and traveling to different provinces is limited. Most youth have not interacted with people from different regions or left their hometowns.
This has cause a lack of cultural understanding and awareness in a nation full of a variety of identities. The North is made up of mostly Kurds and Sunni Muslims. Mainly Sunni and Shia Muslims reside in Central Iraq and Southern Iraq has mostly Shia Muslims.
Salam Shabab casts youth ages 14 to 18 from across Iraq to complete on teams in four challenges — mental, performance, physical and short film compositions. The teams are a conglomerate of youth from different regions, organized to introduce youth to people from other areas of the country.
The first season featured youth from six provinces and was filmed in Erbil, Iraq, Nareen’s hometown. Although Nareen’s group didn’t make it past the second round, she says Salam Shabab changed her life and empowered her to focus on her dreams of becoming a lawyer and defending human rights.
“I hope that Iraq will be secure and safe again and as important as it was many years before,” Nareen said. “I hope that I could do some workshops to teach Iraqi youth how much it’s important to keep their identity and how to work together to make peace.”
The second season of the show is set to air in June and season 3 production will be underway late this summer.
The show has an active website and an ever growing Facebook following. After the first season of the show aired, participants went home and turned to social media to continue conversations about peace. Nareen said she talks with her fellow Salam Shabab participants on social media to discuss news, peace and political issues.
“I think the Iraqi youth are more open-minded because of their openness to the rest of the world through social media,” Nareen said, “so if they knew that their voices are heard and there are other people who care about their opinions they will be able to express themselves more and will be able to change or affect the political environment.”
Social media is increasingly playing a role in assisting youth’s ability to talk about their vision for the future, said Sheldon Himelfarb, the U.S. Institute of Peace Director for the Center of Innovation on Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. Salam Shabab participants and youth who watch the show gather on the Salam Shabab Facebook page and website to discuss what they can do to create a better future for the next generation of Iraqi leaders.
“In Iraq, youth are marginalized — 50% of the population is under the age of 19,” said Theo Dolan, senior program officer at U.S. Institute of Peace’s Center of Innovation for Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding. “This is an incredibly large population that is on the fringe of social discourse. We are giving them a forum and they are doing amazing things.”
Even though television may still the prominent way Iraqis consume media, reports show social media is being used more frequently in Iraq. A 2011 IREX study found Facebook is the most popular social network in Iraq; more than 80% of survey respondents have Facebook accounts. The majority of users — 72% — are 18 to 34 years old.
“In most parts of Iraq, you have electricity that you can count on for 2 to 4 hours per day,” Himelfarb said. “Preliminary data show Iraqi youth are spending more time online than the hours of electricity they have.”
“We have got to meet these kids where they are at, and they’re online,” he said. “The numbers of kids in Iraq that are on Facebook is just huge.”
Growing up during the Iraq War and the Saddam Hussein regime bred a deep-seated distrust for government and political leaders. Through conducting research and studies, the U.S. Institute of Peace has found youth want a voice but feel they aren’t being heard. This is one of the many reasons the U.S. Institute of Peace decided to fund Salam Shabab. The show allows youth to discuss important political issues facing their country and solve problems.
Salam Shabab also gives the U.S. an opportunity to promote democracy and to build a better relationship with young people in Iraq.
“The political intransigents in Iraq is difficult and gains are going to be limited,” Dolan said. “That is why we are targeting these 14-to-18 year olds. There will be generational replacement and these kids will be able to reach out on TV and online to express themselves. They can model conflict resolution behaviors and make a difference.”
While U.S. Institute of Peace funds the show production, the show is created by Magic Carpet Media Production, an Iraqi-owned production company based in Amman, Jordan. The U.S. Institute of Peace provided $500,000 for first season production costs. All of the 50+ crew members are Iraqi, including Hussam A. Hadi, the producer of the show.
Hadi has been through many tough times to get to where he is today. After he was chased out of Iraq by Uday Saddam Hussein, Saddam Hussein’s son, for refusing to work for AlShabab TV, he was later kidnapped by extremists. Hadi said he is finally using his TV producing skills to promote peace in Iraq. His kidnapping gave him motivation to focus on changing the future of Iraq.
“I didn’t let this experience break me, but it made me stronger,” Hadi said. “This encouraged me to be more involved in a peace campaign because I don’t want my children to suffer from those people. I get a chance to work for Salam Shabab; this show represents hope to rebuild Iraq and to make it better now.”
From what Hadi can tell, the show is making an impact on youth participating in the show and also shifting youths’ views on diversity, which will help the next generation set their differences aside.
The Institute of Peace is tracking youth’s views on diversity throughout the show by surveying the participants. Data shows a shift in openness to other cultures. A U.S. Institute of Peace report said “64% of youth agreed that acceptance of cross-cultural dialog among the different groups that make up Iraqi society would constitute an important step in building a peaceful Iraq.”
Nareen is one of many Salam Shabab participants who found a sense of nationalism.
“Iraq can be a peaceful place if people of Iraq love each other and work together to build their country regardless to their differences,” she said. “Salam Shabab changed my life. It made it more active, more creative, more responsible — and it made me know I can do what I want with my life. It made me focus on my dreams.”
Image courtesy of iStock, leminuit
More About: Facebook, iraq, reality tv, Social Media
Amazon is looking for new hit shows to distribute on Amazon Instant Video. The creators of series chosen for full-production will receive $55,000 and a maximum of 5% of Amazon’s net receipts from clothing and toy licensing along with other royalties and bonuses.
Amazon plans to stream one “promising new project” per month. Amazon will measure audience viewership and engagement with each pitched series to decide which series will go into full production.
Amazon has been targeting new original programming for its web instant video channel since it launched in November, 2010. Children and comedy shows will add to the existing slate of show and movie genres.
Those with a knack for creating comedy and children’s shows should submit proposals here. Comedy pitches should be 22 minutes long and children’s show scripts should be 11 minutes. Writers should also submit a five-page explanation of the series, Amazon Studios says.
“Amazon Studios wants to discover great talent and produce programming that audiences will love,” Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios, said in a statement. “In the course of developing movies, we’ve heard a lot of interest from content creators who want to develop original series in the comedy and children’s genres. We are excited to bring writers, animators and directors this new opportunity to develop original series.”
The chosen comedy and children’s shows will stream on Amazon Instant Video. About 7,000 original scripts have been submitted to Amazon Studios. More than 700 test movies have been submitted to this program, 15 of which are currently being developed.
Joe Lewis, previously with 20th Century Fox and Comedy Central and Tara Sorensen, formerly with National Geographic Kids, will head development of the comedy and children’s series.
Do you think you have the winning hit series idea? Tell us in the comments what you hope to see on Amazon Studios.
Image courtesy of iStock, RichVintage.
More About: amazon, amazon studios
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Name: Screenleap
Quick Pitch: Share your computer screen on the web with one click.
Genius Idea: No software is needed to use Screenleap. The site allows anyone to share screens via a handle page, a link or nine digit code. It incorporates a social aspect by allowing users to create personalized pages and the ability to broadcast publically to the entire web or select individuals.
Computer screen sharing has become second nature for many businesses, but what about the average person?
Screenleap, a Palo Alto startup, wants to make screen sharing more social and common in everyday life beyond the office. The company offers services for businesses, but is putting a particular emphasis on how screen sharing could improve online social interactions.
Screenleap users can get their own personal domain name and choose to share their screen with select people or anyone on the Internet interested in viewing. The user handles cut out the need to share conference links or numbers, although Screenleap still offers that option as well. When a user wants to share his or her screen, viewers can see what the user is broadcasting from their URL in the form of http://www.screenleap.com/username.
In two weeks, Screenleap will add a friends list to make sharing easier for logged in users. Users will be able to send invites to join a screen share by email or text message.
“We want to make screen sharing as frictionless as possible,” said Tuyen Truong, founder and CEO of Screenleap. “We have made screen sharing super simple and without clunky software.”
Screenleap requires no software download, unlike many other teleconferencing platforms. In less than 20 seconds, a user can share a screen on Screenleap with anyone from his or her Screenleap handle. With a few clicks, users can share from a computer, smartphone or tablet.
“Screen sharing can and should be as easy to use as email,” Truong said.
Professionals, companies and brands can find value in using the site to broadcast how-to seminars, Truong said.
“If you’re a videographer, other people might find value in what you’re doing online,” Truong said. “You can show other interested videographers how you edit or create things you’re doing.”
Screenleap founders Truong and Lawrence Gentilello were college roommates at Stanford and founders of the Stanford social network Steamtunnels, also know as the “Forgotten Social Network” in the late 1990s. Administrators at Standford shut the site down citing copyright infringement and privacy concerns.
Screenleap, which started in October 2011, has received $167,000 in seed funding from Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel and Start Fund. The service is free for consumer user. The premium version will cost more. Screenleap also plans to develop an API, so businesses can integrate screen sharing into their products. The startup also is considering advertising and allowing brand pages to promote their channels.
To get a Screenleap account, users have to refer five friends. But Mashable readers can bypass the referrals and claim their Screenleap handle by signing up for a free account here.
Image courtesy of iStock, alexsl
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
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A night out dancing is always so much better when you don’t have to hang on to a clunky purse.
College girls want to avoid carrying items to parties at all costs. Two Washington college students have created a pushup bra specifically for carrying a smartphone, credit cards, IDs, money and keys. The JoeyBra features a pouch on the left side of the bra underneath a woman’s left armpit. The creators compared the pouch to a kangaroo’s. A phone and other small items easily fit into the pocket and can be covered by clothing.
Mariah Gentry and Kyle Bartlow, both junior business students at the University of Washington, said the JoeyBra was inspired by the school’s “vibrant Greek system.” Bartlow said on the site that he has seen too many girls asking for contact information on Facebook after they lost or destroyed their smartphones during a weekend out on the town.
“From our own personal experience, we know that women hate taking purses to dances, bars, or dance clubs,” the JoeyBra creators said on their website. “Leaving these items at home can pose a safety risk, but with JoeyBra women will never have to worry losing or damaging their valuables again.”
The duo launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $4,000 in funding by May 19. So far, 60 people have backed the JoeyBra and the campaign has raised $3,145. Those who donate $30 or more will receive a JoeyBra.
So, ladies — would you wear a JoeyBra? I think this gadget is great for drunk college students, but maybe not for professionals. Reaching under my arm to check a text or grab cash may look weird, and pulling my iPhone out of my bra at a professional event doesn’t seem classy. Tell us what you think in the comments.
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The availability of health apps is climbing fast and the industry expects the number of health and fitness apps to quadruple between 2010 to 2016.
More than 40,000 health apps exist and are expected to bring in $1.3 billion in 2012, according to a Research2Guidance report.
Whether you’re a runner or need help tracking your food intake or sleep, HighTable has picked out must-have health apps in the infographic below.
Infographic created by High Table.
More About: apps, fitness, health
Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., uses a small office in state-tax-free Nevada to manage and invest its profits, allowing it to bypass California’s 8.84% corporate tax rate. Apple’s Nevada-based subsidiary asset management company is called Braeburn Capital.
Apple has taken its Reno approach worldwide, and the company’s ability to find legal tax loopholes around the world is functioning as a template for many transnational corporations. The tech giant reduces the amount of taxes it pays by routing its profits to offices in low-tax countries such as the British Virgin Islands, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
Citing government and corporate data, The New York Times reported that technology companies are often the least taxed. Corporate tax dodging is nothing new, but Apple’s low-profile offices raise discussion about who is picking up the slack for Apple’s lack of tax payments. Is the liability shifting to everyday taxpayers?
In a statement responding to the allegations, Apple told The New York Times it “pays an enormous amount of taxes, which help our local, state and federal governments. In the first half of fiscal year 2012, our U.S. operations have generated almost $5 billion in federal and state income taxes, including income taxes withheld on employee stock gains, making us among the top payers of U.S. income tax.”
The New York Times findings are significant because it shows how Apple increases its already sky-high profit in its quest to become the most profitable company in the world — without paying the total amount of taxes the company is expected to pay based on its California location. It’s difficult to measure how much Apple and other corporations shell out in taxes because corporations are not required to publically disclose amount of taxes paid.
Although Apple didn’t disclose its amount of U.S. federal and state taxes paid, it did reveal in its last annual report that it paid $8.3 billion in worldwide taxes. That equals an 9% tax rate, compared with, for example, the 24% tax rate Walmart pays.
Apple contends it has not done anything illegal or unethical, telling the Times it “has conducted all of its business with the highest of ethical standards, complying with applicable laws and accounting rules.” Then Apple used language it usually reserves for product hype, adding, “We are incredibly proud of all of Apple’s contributions.”
While Apple declined to comment to Mashable about its taxing practices, Robert Hatta, a former Apple employee who oversaw Apple’s iTunes retail marketing and sales in Europe, gave The New York Times an example of how Apple pays lower taxes in Luxembourg instead of paying taxes to the U.S. Britain, France and many other countries.
“We set up in Luxembourg because of the favorable taxes,” Hatta told The New York Times. “Downloads are different from tractors or steel because there’s nothing you can touch, so it doesn’t matter if your computer is in France or England. If you’re buying from Luxembourg, it’s a relationship with Luxembourg.”
Meanwhile, Apple continues to net increasing profits. Last year the company raked in $34.2 billion. Most recently, Apple reported quarterly revenue of $39.2 billion ending March 31. iPhone and iPad sales dominated the company’s profits and showed huge growth from one year ago. In the second quarter of 2012, Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones and 11.8 million iPads. Apple’s tablet device sales soared high reaching a “151 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter” and iPhones sales increase by 88% compared to the year-ago quarter.
Is Apple doing the right thing?
Editor’s Note: We originally used the term “evade” when referencing the New York Times accusations against Apple, but the newspaper actually used the term “sidestepping.” The headline and text has been changed to reflect that, and we regret the error.
More About: apple, ipad, iphone, taxes, trending
Name: Three Ring
Quick Pitch: Create and share digital portfolios of students’ work quickly and easily.
Genius Idea: Three Ring allows teachers and students to digitize student work by snapping pictures or videos with their mobile or tablet devices. It keeps student work at the center of the conversation and ensures work isn’t reduced to a rote grade or forgotten in a filing cabinet.
Crumpled assignments drifting to the bottom of students’ backpacks may soon be an experience of the past. A new app called Three Ring is seeking to change the future of digital classrooms everywhere.
With a smartphone or a tablet, the app allows teachers to take a photo or video recording of student work and then seamlessly view and share the work online. Three Ring is a digital filing cabinet that could improve the grading experience and allow teachers and parents to better track student performance.
Three Ring is already in the hands of almost 2,000 teachers in New York, Delaware and Maryland. Since the startup launched six weeks ago, Three Ring has already turned heads. It swooped up the Best Education Startup at New York Tech Day last week.
Three friends — Alec Turnbull, Michael Lindsay and Steve Silvius — who share a passion for education reform joined to create Three Ring. Silvius has taught in LA charter schools.
“Portfolios are powerful tools for teachers, but they have been difficult to maintain,” Lindsay says. “This app solves that problem and captures the richness of the classroom experience that is lost from the conversation. It allows educators to go beyond the grade and bring student work to the forefront.”
The app, currently looking for seed funding, is not fully developed yet. It’s in beta and available only for teacher use. The trio is in the process of developing parent, student and administrator access as well. In the future, teachers will be able to send a students’ work with comments and a grade directly to parents. The startup plans to sell the service to any schools that want to use Three Ring.
Here’s how it works: First, the teacher takes a picture of the students’ work, then tags the photo with appropriate labels including the name, assignment, type of work and what common core standards the assignment meets.
From there, the teacher can access the students’ work on the Three Ring website from a tablet or computer. The teacher can create different classes and find students’ work that way, or just search by student name. The teacher can label and group assignments such as drafts, sketches, assignments, exam, etc. The teacher can then quickly scroll through student work and comment on assignments. Teachers will no longer have to thumb through papers to find the exam they’re looking for.
Lindsay makes it clear that Three Ring is not meant to be a replacement for pencil and paper assignments. The app is more like a digital filing cabinet that will lighten the weight of homework teachers carry home to grade and serves as a digital record of students’ progress. Lindsay also says he was surprised by how many teachers want to know how a student is performing in other courses they’re not teaching. Three Ring makes it easy for teachers to share student work between classrooms.
“It takes hours to create your own filing system and Three Ring can be a huge time saver,” Lindsay says. “We allow teachers to bring that kind of work online quickly and accurately.”
Below is an example of what Three Ring looks like online.
What are the most useful implementations of tech in the classroom you’ve seen? Tell us in the comments.
Image courtesy of Flickr, flickingerbrad
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
More About: bizspark, education, spark of genius series, technology and education
That’s how Justin Knapp, 29, of Indianapolis, Ind., became the poster boy of Wikipedia editors. The site recognized Knapp’s as the first volunteer editor to reach 1 million edits on the website Friday. The college-educated Knapp told Mashable he has spent 10 hours a day reading and adding to posts since he lost his job as a pizza delivery guy.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales declared April 20 Justin Knapp Day in celebration.
“Wikipedians of the distant future shall marvel at the first person to ever make 1,000,000 edits,” Wales said.
Knapp began using Wikipedia as a resource in the early 2000s and started editing the site shortly after. In 2005, he created a login to track and compile his edits. He averages about 385 edits per day.
He describes himself as an average Midwesterner. He’s frugal, lives conservatively and enjoys volunteering countless hours to the free outlet. His favorite band is R.E.M. and he frequently listens to alternative rock. Knapp studied philosophy and political science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Wikipedia’s estimated 90,000 editors are unpaid and on the decline. In 2007, Wikipedia had more than 100,000 active editors.
“Increasing active editors is a primary objective of the Wikimedia Foundation this year and over the next few years as part of our strategic plan,” Matthew Roth, a Wikipedia spokesman said. “We believe that increasing the size of our engaged community is a positive objective for the long-term health of the projects.”
Knapp added: “If anyone else feels like they value sharing free knowledge, there is always something to be done at Wikipedia.”
Knapp’s political agenda got him interested in contributing to the site. He started editing Wikipedia because he said “there wasn’t enough coverage on the Western Sahara.
“I was not interested in providing a balanced prospective, I was interested in political advocacy,” he said. “I have since realized that Wikipedia is not the outlet for political advocacy and that this isn’t really a tool for me to play around with.”
Knapp said his motivation has shifted. Now, he is focused on re-arranging information logically within the site. Knapp is particular about grammar and is easily irked by a missing comma or an improperly used hyphen.
The majority of his million edits are relatively small, he says. He is drawn to music, politics, philosophy and religion.
“I find editing Wikipedia relaxing and rewarding,” Knapp said. “It’s a hobby of mine. It’s what I like to do.”
Jobs in the philosophy industry have been hard to come by, he says. He has completed odd jobs. Currently, he is taking prerequisite classes for nursing school. He plans to apply to nursing school in the future. Regardless, he plans to continue editing Wikipedia articles as a super user koavf.
What do you think of Knapp’s accomplishments on Wikipedia? Tell us in the comments what you think about the openness of the online database.
Image courtesy of the Wikimedia Foundation
More About: wikipedia
That’s how Justin Knapp, 29, of Indianapolis, Ind., became the poster boy of Wikipedia editors. The site recognized Knapp as the first volunteer editor to reach 1 million edits on the website Friday. The college-educated Knapp told Mashable he has spent 10 hours a day reading and adding to posts since he lost his job as a pizza delivery guy.
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales declared April 20 Justin Knapp Day in celebration.
“Wikipedians of the distant future shall marvel at the first person to ever make 1,000,000 edits,” Wales said.
Knapp began using Wikipedia as a resource in the early 2000s and started editing the site shortly after. In 2005, he created a login to track and compile his edits. He averages about 385 edits per day.
He describes himself as an average Midwesterner. He’s frugal, lives conservatively and enjoys volunteering countless hours to the free outlet. His favorite band is R.E.M. and he frequently listens to alternative rock. Knapp studied philosophy and political science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Wikipedia’s estimated 90,000 editors are unpaid and on the decline. In 2007, Wikipedia had more than 100,000 active editors.
“Increasing active editors is a primary objective of the Wikimedia Foundation this year and over the next few years as part of our strategic plan,” Matthew Roth, a Wikipedia spokesman said. “We believe that increasing the size of our engaged community is a positive objective for the long-term health of the projects.”
Knapp added: “If anyone else feels like they value sharing free knowledge, there is always something to be done at Wikipedia.”
Knapp’s political agenda got him interested in contributing to the site. He started editing Wikipedia because he said “there wasn’t enough coverage on the Western Sahara.
“I was not interested in providing a balanced prospective, I was interested in political advocacy,” he said. “I have since realized that Wikipedia is not the outlet for political advocacy and that this isn’t really a tool for me to play around with.”
Knapp said his motivation has shifted. Now, he is focused on re-arranging information logically within the site. Knapp is particular about grammar and is easily irked by a missing comma or an improperly used hyphen.
The majority of his million edits are relatively small, he says. He is drawn to music, politics, philosophy and religion.
“I find editing Wikipedia relaxing and rewarding,” Knapp said. “It’s a hobby of mine. It’s what I like to do.”
Jobs in the philosophy industry have been hard to come by, he says. He has completed odd jobs. Currently, he is taking prerequisite classes for nursing school. He plans to apply to nursing school in the future. Regardless, he plans to continue editing Wikipedia articles as a super user koavf.
What do you think of Knapp’s accomplishments on Wikipedia? Tell us in the comments what you think about the openness of the online database.
Image courtesy of the Wikimedia Foundation
More About: trending, wikipedia
Several tech leaders including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg landed on Time‘s 100 Most Influential People in the World list, announced Wednesday.
Both Cook and Sandberg have been in the spotlight in the past year. Cook has had a lot thrown at him since he took over for Steve Jobs. The new iPad released and he has been dealing with controversy about Apple suppliers in China.
Al Gore, former U.S. vice president, wrote Cook’s Time bio, which says, “Cook, 51, has already led the world’s most valuable and innovative company to new heights while implementing major policy changes smoothly and brilliantly.”
Sandberg has not only been a strong leader, but also an inspirational activist. Most recently she spoke about balancing family and work life. Notice, Mark Zuckerberg, her boss, didn’t make the cut this year.
“She embodies the very best of a new generation of leaders, flourishing and creating shared value in an era of unprecedented technological change and human advancement. Her energy, her passion and her relentless optimism are infectious, inspiring all of us who’ve had the chance to work with her,” Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola, wrote in her bio for Time.
Other tech names included: Spotify CEO Daniel Ek; entrepreneur and co-creator of the first popular web browser Marc Andreessen; Change.org founder Ben Rattray; Khan Academy founder Salman Khan; IBM CEO Virginia Rometty and Mashable‘s founder and CEO Pete Cashmore.
The selection process begins with Time readers voting for their picks for the world’s most influential people. Then a team of editors chose the 100 most influential leaders.
Anonymous led the Time 100 poll and Erik Martin, the general manager of Reddit, followed behind with 264,193 votes.
Who do you think is the most influential tech leader in the world? Tell us in the comments.
Image courtesy of Time
More About: mashable video, Time Inc
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