This is the second part of the Vialogues Olympics. That myself and my fellows EdLabbers took part in. As Duncan already created a blog about the first four people, I will be also talking about the last five people, also describing their videos as well.

Haymar Lim

This first Vialogue was created by Haymar and it focused on the universe, basically describing specific things about the universe.

He followed that up with the Human Genome Project Surprises, which talks about human genes.

Khalil Abubakar

The next participant of this Olympic was Khalil. His first Vialogue was titled The TSA is Out Of Control. This video talked looked at the Transportation Security Administration agency.

As one of the most widely used websites, Amazon has a pretty good grip on their services and their customer base. However, there is a serious competitor on the horizon. Amazon is on the verge of a war versus Rakuten, a Japanese based Internet company that also happens to be biggest in that country. Rakuten has been one of a few of Amazon’s competitors and has recently taking critical steps to help improve the company to challenge Amazon’s position as the premier e-commerce site in Japan. Led by their flamboyant and ever confident billionaire CEO Hiroshi "Micky" Mikitani, Rakuten assault on Amazon is planned around an eBook, Kobo.

As the third largest eCommerce marketplace company globally, Rakuten bought recently bought Kobo for $315 million. Mikitani, unorthodox in his business practices and ever the showman, taunted his American competitor by wearing a shirt that read “Destroy Amazon” at the unveiling of Kobo. Amazon’s Kindle remains one of the most popular eBook and Kobo is directly aimed at challenging that market and eventually Amazon’s stake as the world’s largest e-Commerce marketplace. Mikitani, who has seen several of his business ventures fail, seems very adamant and determined to defeat Amazon at all costs.

Last week, I blogged about how location is crucial for any new business or even old businesses looking to rebrand. I also looked at a list of cities across the country that are very business friendly, especially for new ones. The startup scene in New York City may be expanding to one of the city’s most marginalized communities: the Bronx. According to this New York Times article, the Bronx is trying to become a hub for aspiring companies and entrepreneurs. In the article, the author compares the social and economic conditions of the Bronx and Brooklyn during the 1970s and 1980s and how Brooklyn has outgrown and outpaced the Bronx in all areas. Much of the business growth in the Bronx can be attributed to Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who has been ambitious in his plans to drag the Bronx out of the shadows.

For any business to be successful, there are some almost certain universal features or resources it must have such as capital, staff, a vision and a strong user base, among others. As a result of this, starting a business is always a risk for any aspiring entrepreneur. An entrepreneur has to be willing to take criticism and get back up from failing in their recent opportunities. The entrepreneur has to be determined. They have to act towards any opportunity that comes their way. This is especially true for small business, especially the ones that need to be located at a physical location. Location is one of the key elements in the success of any business and finding the right one could determine the ultimate success or failure of that business.

There are some business friendly cities in the U.S. that helps businesses such as Oklahoma City, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Atlanta, Colorado Springs, and Omaha. Oklahoma City ranked first on CNN Money’s list of business friendly cities.

Homosexuality continues to have a stigma in certain places in our country. Even though the Obama administration recently expressed support for gay marriages, there is a sizeable amount of Americans who are opposed to same sex marriages.

This past week might have been a key moment in terms of how we view homosexuality and whether it should determine one’s success. CNN’s Anderson Cooper, one of the most well known journalists confirmed that he was gay and that has never affected how he reports or view the many subjects he has covered over the years. On the other side, highly touted R&B singer Frank Ocean also admitted to being gay. For most, Ocean’s admission, at a time when he is on the cusp of superstardom, was seen as career suicide, especially in the African American community, where homosexuality is very much still a taboo. Ocean, who has written songs for Beyonce, Kanye West and Justin Bieber and has one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year, was frank and said he can now focus on his music without anything to hide or fear.

The recent case of Dharun Ravi, the Rutgers student accused and eventually acquitted of using a webcam to secretly record intimate moments between his roommate, Tyler Clementi, and his lover that ultimately led Clementi to commit suicide, has put a large scope on cyber bullying. As most states have or are scrambling to create laws regarding cyber bullying, the question I’ve been thinking about is what is cyber bullying and when can one identify it.

I am sure most of us have Facebook or some sort of online social networking account that we frequently use for various reasons. A large portion of activities on all social networking sites includes comments and pictures whether it is Twitter, or Facebook. Our comments are usually funny, witty, and a combination of the negative with some tease. Among young people, there is a tendency to always poke fun at our friends at every opportunity. Does this “fun” count as cyber bullying? Bullying as a concept is very hard to define in and outside of the classroom, as young people tend not to know how their actions and/or words can hurt others. I think the lines for bullying, especially on the web, is very blurry and lawmakers, as they have or prepare to tackle the issue need to take a closer look at how young people use the web and be specific in how they spell out instances of cyber bullying. This site sheds more light on teasing and bullying.

This summer, I will be working predominantly on the Digitization Queue (DigiQ) project with the rest of the interns downstairs. We are currently working on the John Fischer Collection. Fischer was the sixth President of Teachers College and served from 1962-1974. I am working on inventorying all items in boxes so we can have a record of all Fischer’s activities as President. Additionally, we will scan the items and include them as part of the Fischer Collection on PocketKnowledge.

The box I am currently working on revolves around President Fischer’s involvement with the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. The Seminary should look familiar to most of us as it is located right on 122nd and Broadway and is opposite the Manhattan School of Music. The 1960s and 70s was a time of great change for the state of Israel as they fought several wars with its neighbors to cement its presence in the region following the UN Declaration given them a country in what was then Palestine. As an institution devoted to Jewish studies and created in the tradition of Judaism, the Seminary was very active in promoting Israel’s interest as well as expanding its campus. Due to its proximity to TC, the Seminary constantly sought the advice and support of President Fischer to enhance their mission and presence in the community.

Since its inception at a housing project in the South Bronx around 35 years ago, hip hop has grown to become not just a musical genre but a part of popular American life. Last summer I worked on an mSchool course on the history and influence of hip hop music on popular culture. An upcoming movie, The Art of Rap, focuses on the artistic side of hip hop such as storytelling and its commentary on social issues in inner city neighborhoods, where hip hop originated. As the movie and early hip hop records such as Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” and Public Enemy’s “Don’t Believe the Hype” clearly indicates, hip hop and music as a whole became a platform for artists to voice their concerns and thoughts on that time’s key social issues such as AIDS, poverty, rampant drug use, and teenage pregnancy, among others.

I am sure most of us have seen some glimpses of the celebrations and pageantry marking Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. The Jubilee is marking the Queen’s 60 years on the British throne. For most British citizens, the Jubilee comes as a source of great national pride as did Prince William’s wedding last year. Though in recent times the Queen’s role as leader of the British Commonwealth has become more celebratory, she still holds some political say such as the power to appoint political officers. Due to the vast amount of colonies and territories the British Empire amassed during their heyday, millions around the world joined in the celebrations. I learned a lot about the British monarchy in my high school world history classes and how crucial the King or Queen was to the political, social and economic interests of the Commonwealth.

I, like many young people around the world, have grown indifferent to the purpose or role of the monarchy, especially in a time of great democratic change in all corners of the world. In this op-ed for CNN, the author makes an argument for the abolishment of the British throne. In my native country of Ghana, the monarchy is a big part of everyday life though they also have little political say. This NY Times article talks about how Ghanaians in the Bronx recently chose their own king in keeping with custom from the mother country. The article correctly notes that young Ghanaians like myself have little or no involvement in the affairs of the organization that chose the king as our upbringing in a democratic society, both home and abroad, have led to an indifferent attitude towards monarchies.

Hama, the site of the 1982 bloody crackdown by then Syrian president Hafez al-Assad against the Muslim Brotherhood, has been hit again by another al-Assad, Hafez’s son, Bashir. The Muslim Brotherhood, with chapters in various other Arab countries, wanted an Islamic state in Syria, and al-Assad, a more moderate dictator, move quickly to stopped that. The current uprising is in keeping with the wave of democratic reform that has been taking place in the Middle East since the year started.

In Hama, just like other Syrian cities, there have been protests everyday since the Islamic holy month of Ramadan started.The response has been one of violence by the al-Assad, which is strange considering Ramadan is a time of goodwill and peace among Muslims. Syrians are protesting mainly to change the regime of their country, but won’t accept their country becoming another Iraq, in terms of security, or Saudi Arabia – in terms of religious rule.