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Released on March 26, Periscope, the live-stream app, already has people raving, and according to Yahoo Tech, “people are already streaming everything from lunches to commutes to breaking news... it’s sure got people’s attention.” From the people who brought you Twitter, Periscope is a free iOS and Android app that, “lets you watch and broadcast live video from around the world,” reports Yahoo Tech. From your smartphone, you can live-stream anything that is happening anywhere at any given time. Periscope can be viewed on your phone, tablet or computer and allows you to see anything that is currently happening on the app. Raena Lopez, freshman elementary education major from Texas, said, “My mom would love it if I used this all the time, but I think I would use the app as an interactive way to see what’s up with my friends’ lives. They could live vicariously through me in Hawaii and I could live vicariously where and whatever my friends are doing. Seems kinda funny, but could be really cool.”Even if you don’t have anything interesting to stream, “that’s part of the charm of an app like Periscope,” says Yahoo Tech. “Sometimes you’re going to be able to watch something amazing or historic; other times you’re going to watch someone eat ramen. It’s a crapshoot. And as more people join, the stuff to watch will certainly get better.” Whether it’s just a fad or in for the long run, perhaps Periscope could just be your new favorite way to see what is going on all around or in the next classroom. Even BYU-Hawaii students seem excited to try out the new app.As a new instant and interactive way to stay in-touch, students said they are excited for a new way to see what’s going on back home.Nesha Brown, a sophomore ICS major from Texas, said, “Seeing a breaking news story live would be epic. I think though it would be a cooler way than Snapchat to see what my family and friends are up to.” Along the same note, Aaron Belliston, a junior in exercise and sports science from Utah, agreed with Brown and said, “Sounds like another Snapchat. I’ll wait till my interesting friends download it so I can actually see something cool.”Uploaded April 2, 2015

BYU-Hawaii students said they thought donating $1.8 million of the proceeds of the film “Meet the Mormons” to the American Red Cross shows the world who the people of the LDS Church really are. “Because of this long-standing relationship [with the American Red Cross] it was decided that when ‘Meet the Mormons’ was released we would take the new proceeds of the movie and give it to the American Red Cross,” said Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson, who presented the check as a representative of LDS Charities to Cliff Holts, president of Humanitarian Services of the American Red Cross on March 19. Clair Beutler, from California and a sophomore in elementary education, said, “I loved the movie and it is great to see our church continuing to show the media who we really are. I know the movie broke a lot of bad Mormon stereotypes and I hope that this just backs it up.”According to Mormon Newsroom, CEO and president of the American Red Cross, Gail J. McGrovern said the church has responded with a great deal of people to help in the aftermath of many disasters all overthe world. Chloe Dean, a junior psychology major from California, saw “Meet the Mormons” and said, like the movie, this is a great way for the church to show its positive demeanor in the media. “Our church does a lot of great things of service for this world, and we normally don’t publicize about it,” Dean said. “By using the movie money, which brought a lot of good attention to the church, to donate to a good cause shows the nature of this church andits organization.”Mormon Newsroom said, “Heidi Ruster, chief executive officer of the Utah region of the Red Cross, remarked how the Church has been an active partner not only in Utah but also around the world. She said, ‘A surprise this year from the Church was the donation of the net proceeds… We are so thankful and grateful for that.’”The church’s statement from the beginning of the opening of the documentary said the net box office proceeds would be donated to the American Red Cross, reported Mormon Newsroom. “Meet the Mormons” opened in theaters on Oct. 10, 2014 and “exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Stevenson about the feature-length documentary. The total U.S box office revenue was about $6 million, reported Mormon Newsroom.Justin Kolilis, junior exercise and sports science major from Washington, said, “As members, we believe in being charitable and donating that money to the American Red Cross was a great example to the world of who we are.”For about 100 years the LDS Church and the Red Cross have been working together, reported Mormon Newsroom. “During World War I, the women’s Relief Society of the church joined with the Red Cross as they participated in food production and conservation, fund drives, sanitation, child welfare work and other service. The Relief Society also collaborated with the Red Cross in the early 1900s when more than 10,000 Relief Society sisters completed Red Cross courses in home nursing, first aid and nutrition.” Uploaded April 2, 2015

After eight years of being tried for the death of her former British roommate Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox was finally acquitted by Italy’s Supreme Court on March 27.The New York Times reports, “Italy’s highest court acquitted Amanda Knox and her Italian former boyfriend of murder on Friday, throwing all charges and ending a long-running courtroom drama over the killing of a British student in 2007.” The New York Times shared Knox’s statement she made after hearing the news of her overturned conviction, “I am tremendously relieved and grateful for the decision of the Supreme Court of Italy. The knowledge of my innocence has given me strength in the darkest of times of this ordeal.” Brigham Madsen, junior business major from California, said, “I remember a lot of this in the news. I still cannot believe that this girl has had to suffer the pain of her friend’s death over and over again as the courts have changed their minds over the years. I’m glad she has finally gotten her justice.”Student Erika Hill, a junior ICS major from Utah, also said she thought it was horrible that Knox had to ‘suffer the pain of her friends death over and over again.’ Hill adds, “From every interview I’ve seen, she seemed innocent. I can’t imagine what it would be like to know you didn’t kill your friend and then to go through what Knox did for eight years. That’s horrible. But now I’ sure she has so much relief in her life of being truly free.”In 2007 Amanda Knox and Meredith Kercher were roommates at an Italian University in Perugia, Italy. Kercher was murdered and Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted of the murder in Perugia in 2009 after spending two years in custody, reported The World Post. In 2011 both Knox and Sollecito were freed, “after a Perugia appellate court overturned the convictions,” reports The World Post. In 2013, Knox and Sollecito were back in an appellate court when the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation, rejected the acquittals over, according to The World Post, “the Perugia chief appellate judge’s reasoning.” Then in 2014, “an appeals court in Florence convicted the pair, sentencing Knox to 28 and a half years and Sollecito to 25 years.” The World Post continues to report that the ruling was that they both acted with another man, Rudy Guede, who had already been sentenced for part in the murder. Knox and Sollecito, “had always argued that Mr. Guede committed the crime on his own,” reported by The New York Times. BYU-Hawaii students who are familiar with Knox’s years of trial shared what they think about her being acquitted. Chris Toronto, senior business finance major from Utah, said, “The whole ‘Amanda Knox’ trial was drama and dragged way too much out in my opinion… She must feel like a huge weight has finally been lifted off her shoulders.”After spending nearly four years in jail, Knox said, “throughout this ordeal, I have received invaluable support from family, friends, and the strangers. To them, I say: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kindness has sustained me,” reported The New York Times. Sollecito was also acquitted. According to The New York Times, in 90 days, “the reasoning behind the decision is to be made public.”Uploaded April 2, 2015

The unveiling of the portrait of President Wheelwright painted by art professor Jeffrey Merrill surprised the President and faculty members at the Ho'omaika'i dinner and dance, an event appreciating employees.Art history professor Caryn Houghton said, “I think it was an exciting moment for everyone who was present at the banquet. When I saw Jeff Merrill walk up to the stage to uncover the veiled canvas, I knew it would be amazing. And I was not disappointed. Merrill is truly a gifted painter. The painting conveys as sense of accomplishment, wisdom, and experience necessary for a man in his position.”The 24 by 32 inch oil painting depicted President Wheelwright in his academic regalia from Stanford University, where he received his PH. D in 1970. President Wheelwright said he was reluctant initially, but “when Jeffrey Merrill joined our faculty, it was clear that he had the skill to do such a portrait. I'm grateful for Brother Merrill and am pleased that his excellent work will be displayed on our campus for years to come.”Merrill said he took the photographs and head study of Wheelwright over a year ago. Wheelwright said he had forgotten about the painting until it was revealed at the dinner. Merrill said Wheelwright told him, “You made me look younger. My wife is going to love this.”Wheelwright said, “My wife and five children all thought it looked very ‘presidential.’ I liked the fact that it's an excellent likeness, is complimentary, and is very professional in its painting style and how it is framed.”Merrill said he had to paint the head three times, spending 30 hours to complete the portrait. “To capture the likeness of a person, the biggest likeness of a person is in the mouth, especially the corners of the mouth. If you mess that up, it gets really funky. That really captures the character of someone’s face. Most people think it’s the eyes. The eyes are important, but even more even more important to capture the essence of the person is the mouth.”When first coming to BYUH, Merrill noticed that while every other president had a painting, Wheelwright had a photograph. “I first thought he was waiting for a portrait to get done, and I inquired about it, and he didn’t want a painting. As professors, we do university service as part of our job, like sitting on a committee that serves the university in some capacity, so I thought I’d rather spend my service time doing a portrait for President Wheelwright...It’s his first one and my first one. It was a first for everybody.”Houghton said her favorite aspect of the portrait is definitely the color palette. “Jeff's use of browns, reds, and gold tones creates a sense of stability, strength and warmth.”Merrill said, “I tried to find a picture that presented him in a calm, pleasing way. You want a portrait to feel respectful and calm.”Houghton said, “Portraiture has been used in art history as a way to capture, in one image, the accomplishments and status of the person portrayed. In a world of digital images, Merrill's oil painting is truly a unique way to honor President Wheelwright.” The paintings of all the presidents are currently in storage, but pictures of them are currently located in the reception area of the administration building on the second floor.Uploaded April 2, 2015

Uploaded March 27, 2015 Hearing their mother’s voice and heartbeat improve a baby’s development, say researchers from a Boston hospital and reported in the New York Times. The article says multiple studies have shown these sounds play crucial roles in baby’s early development and BYU-Hawaii students interviewed said they think the research is correct.Tiffany Staves, a junior majoring in graphic design from Florida, said, “I do believe that mother’s voice give the beneficial affect on baby’s development. It can help them learning how to talk and learn fast.” Nobuaki Suzuki is a senior in business management from Japan. He and his wife, Yurina Suzuki, have a 10- month-old baby girl. “Since I became a father, sometimes I Google online what are some useful methods for baby’s early education. I have heard this research before. Also I know that if a baby is surrounded by various languages in their environment, it will help develop baby’s ability of expression.”The study down at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston could help doctors and parents look after premature babies and improve their developmental and cognitive disabilities, reports the NYT.The researchers studied 40 babies born eight to 15 weeks prematurely who were confined to incubators and had little time with their mothers, reports the NYT. Using tiny speakers positioned inside the incubators, half of the babies heard the sounds of their mother’s voices and heartbeats for three additional hours a day while the other half didn’t received any additional sound.“After 30 days, babies in the first group had developed a significantly larger auditory cortex — the hearing center of the brain — than those in the second group,” reported the NYT.One of the authors of the study, Dr. Amir Lahav, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, said. “This is part of the biological recipe for how you cook a baby. Any deviation from original recipe” could result in developmental problems, he added.Other research published online in Developmental Science found moving with a partner to the musical beat may make babies more cooperative.The study was done on 48 toddlers. Each assistant held a baby and gently bounced with the beat of the Beatles’ music “Twist and Shout” for about two minutes, reported the NYT. “Then the scientists tested whether the babies would help out when an experimenter ‘accidentally’ dropped an object, or tried to pick up an object just out of hand’s reach,” the NYT article says. The researchers found babies who were bounced in a rhythm were more likely to help than those who were not bounced. Zhou Qinghua, a senior in accounting from China, is pregnant. She said, “I think the results shown in the research is reasonable. I have read the rhythm of a mother’s body movement make the baby inside the body have a sense of safety. After a baby is born, the mother’s voice and heartbeat can give baby this kind of feeling. That is why we have cradle a newborn baby.”Staves said since her husband is majoring in psychology, he has done a lot of reading on how to treat a baby, and she has received her baby early education from her husband. She said she felt knowing some of these methods would be useful when raising babies.

Uploaded March 27, 2015While making grammatical mistakes from time and time is common for second language learners and even native English speakers, there are apps that can people help improve their grammar, says the New York Times.Sooyeong Jeong, a senior in ICS communication major from Korea, said, “ Normally I don’t spend time on studying grammar. If the apps are free, I might like to try and do some practicing on it.”Wang Huimu, a senior in accounting from China, said, “When I writing papers, I also practice grammar at the same time. No matter what method or tools I rely on, writing more and practicing more is the way to improve.” Alex Walker, a senior in peacebuilding from Minnesota, is a writing tutor at the Reading Writing Lab. He said, “I am not familiar with the particular apps, as I haven’t see them. But the more practice people get, spending some time on it and thinking about it, any of them may beneficial.”Kierah Thurgood, a junior in TESOL from Idaho, is a grammar tutor at the Language Center. Her job is helping checking international students grammar in both listening and speaking. She said she doesn’t know about apps, but she thinks it may good for people to try and practice on it.Here are some useful free English grammar practice app reported on in the New York Times:1. Practice English Grammar“The free app Practice English Grammar from Cleverlize is among the most polished, and is easy to use for improving your grammar skills. It’s available for both iOS and Android covers the whole gamut of grammatical details from conjunctions through tenses to using the passive voice,” says New York Times reviewer Kit Eaton.“Its main interface is a pleasing graphical display of your progress in each of the various modules. Tapping on one of these modules takes you to a section where you can see the grammar lessons in the form of flashcards, and then a section where you can test your knowledge in an interactive quiz.“The flashcards are easy to read, with the bare minimum of information you need to know. For example, did you know that the present continuous tense is formed with the help of the auxiliary verb “to be”? Still, while the flashcards are easy to read, sometimes the information feels a little too spartan.“While the core app is free with basic lessons, you have to purchase more content in-app if you want access to every module. Individual modules cost $1, or you can subscribe for around $10 a month.”2. Learning English Grammar“Another option is the LearnEnglish Grammar app from the British Council. This app, too, has lessons covering different subjects and has sections to review and test your knowledge. The design is plain, with simple colors, large text and straightforward instructions, so it’s easy to use,” Eaton continues.“Its testing system is a little more fun than Practice English Grammar’s; you play simple games to enter the correct answers to quiz questions. I also liked the linguistic examples it gives when you’re learning about a particular grammatical rule, because they feel more natural for a native English speaker.“This app is free for both iOS and Android, but you must pay for the complete range of content. Packs cover grammatical topics at different levels, from Beginner Pack 1 to Intermediate Pack 2 for more advanced lessons, and each costs $1.” It is free in both British English and American English versions.3. English Grammar Ultimate“A free alternative to these apps on Android is English Grammar Ultimate from Maxlogic. The app lacks the design polish of the other two mentioned here, but it is still well organized into sections for different grammatical rules and has an easy-to-use interface.“You may find the way this app explains grammar suits you even more because of the slightly longer explanations and examples it gives.”4. English Grammar Test“For testing your grammatical skills on Android devices, you should also check out English Grammar Test by SevenLynx. This app has a clean and attractive look, and feels professional and trustworthy for a free piece of software. It also does a nice job of explaining why your incorrect test answers were wrong.”5. Grammar Up“For brushing up on your grammar in a business setting, apps like … Grammar Up from Webrich Software are great options,” writes Eaton. Grammar Up is available “free as a sampler on iOS and Android, and $5 for all the tests. Grammar Up offers some neat feedback in the form of graphs showing where your grammatical strengths and weaknesses lie, and this may help you decide where to concentrate your learning efforts.”Additionally, both BYUH tutors gave their suggestions on how to improve your grammatical skills.Walker said, “Depends on where in the world the students come from. People from different area have the different difficulty with English. For some students, it is about the mechanics, and the particular word forms in the rules of the language. For others it is about how translate their concepts into English. As a writing tutor, my suggestion is read your paper out loud, and read to another person. Sometimes in your mind you can fix some errors, but if you speak it out, especially speak to native speakers, they can find some more that you ignore and didn’t realize, and also check whether it make sense.”Thurgood offered similar advice. “Language is a tool for communication. In order to get improvement, people need to practice it and use it. Like playing piano: At the beginning, people need to practice a lot to get their fingers to move neatly.”

Upload March 27, 2015Scientists now think 74 to 98 percent of the causes for autism are linked to genetics because of a new British study, reported BBC news. Victoria Countryman, a freshman majoring in biochemistry from Laie, said, “Genetics is probably. I don’t want to say what it comes down to, but it is definitely going to be a genetic thing, as opposed to food or vaccines.” The Medical Research Council of the King’s College London conducted the study using 258 twins. Of those 258 teenagers, 181 had autism. The risk of having autism was higher for the identical twins who share the exact same DNA, the report concluded. BBC says the researchers told JAMA Psychiatry hundreds of genes are involved, but they do not rule out environmental factors.According to Dr. Francesca Happe, “Some parents are concerned whether things like high pollution might be causing autism.” She said their “findings suggest environmental factors are smaller,” than previously thought. During Countryman’s Chemistry 106 class, taught by Professor Daniel Scott, she said she heard about the scare of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine specifically being linked to autism. A video displayed the battle of vaccinating young children. Countryman is “in favor of people being vaccinated.” The MMR vaccine is not linked to autism, according to BBC. Lancet, the medical journal that originally published the false study, the story says, issued a “full retraction of the paper.”Autism is a spectrum disorder, says Autism Speaks. It affects the way the brain processes information. The severity varies widely from person to person. One individual could function in normal society, while another may not even be able to speak. The social deficiency brought along with autism, said an article published by the University of Washington, can be traced to the hyperexcitability of the amygdala. The amygdala is associated with “the fight or flight response” and deals with processing new information. The over arousal of this area of the brain occurs when individuals suffering from autism look another person in the eye. At the same time, they typically have less activity going on in the amygdala at any given time when compared to an individual not suffering from the developmental disorder.

Uploaded March 27, 2015As the 185th semi-annual General Conference approaches on April 4 and 5, BYU-Hawaii students shared their belief that personal preparation is the key to a successful viewing experience. This can be difficult; not only does the two-day event occur only days before final projects, essays, exams and graduation, but in Hawaii it also broadcasts live before the sun rises. Saturday and Sunday sessions begin at 6 a.m. due to the six-hour time difference between the islands and Salt Lake City, Utah, where the conference is held. “I usually think of some questions and what I want to know the most,” said Sarah Weung, a junior from Hong Kong studying communications. “I will also review past conference talks. If I do that, then I know that the Lord can direct me to receive new inspiration and get the most out of conference.”Students, as well as professors and BYUH staff gave tips on how to be both spiritually and physically prepared for conference. Sonja Klev, a junior from Maine studying business management, said, “I pray for the Spirit to direct me in my life and to let me know what I should do, especially with the big decisions. If you go into conference with these questions, you will be in the right mindset to receive revelation and answers.” Some take a simpler approach to their preparation. For example, English instructor Scott Patrick said, “I just clear the schedule for the weekend and then just kick back and soak up the inspiration.”In addition to personal preparation, students and faculty said they face the challenge of preparing their small children for the several hours of conference. Administrative nurse Anita Olszowke from Haaula said, “My advice would be to start the kids early. Make a habit of watching conference together early.” Her children are adults now, but she remembered how she and her husband prepared to help their children connect with conference. “We also always had photos of the apostles in the house so the children could recognize them when they were talking during conference.”Conference begins on Saturday April 4 at 6 a.m. live and will conclude on Sunday afternoon. It will be shown live at the Heber J. Grant Building.On lds.org, additional conference viewing information says, “All sessions will be streamed live on the home page of LDS.org. They are also available via the Church satellite system, radio, television, satellite, and other digital channels. See How to View Live for more details. For specific times, languages, and rebroadcast information, refer to the Church broadcast schedule. Sessions will be recorded and archived for later viewing on conference.lds.org.”