Ke Alaka'i Homepage

Facebook profiles can now be passed down from generation to generation. According to the Associated Press, the 1.4 billion users now have the opportunity to delegate someone as their “legacy contact,” who is responsible to respond to posts on the deceased’s page, accept/decline new friend requests, and also update both profile and cover picture on their behalf.AP also reported before the legacy contact can officially take over, proof of death has to be shown; for instance, an obituary. The legacy contact is not the only option for a person’s account after they pass. Users also have the option to have the account deleted. When notified about this interesting addition to Facebook, Bethany James, a freshman majoring in biology from New Zealand, said, “I just think it is really weird, I don’t see the sense in carrying it on.”However, disagreeing with James, Hannah Naylor, a freshman majoring in international cultural studies from Iowa, said, “I don’t think it’s that weird because I have already thought about who is going to take over my Facebook while I am on my mission. I think it’s a way to honor that person; I think this can be a good thing.”As explained by AP, assigning this legacy contact can be done in a few simple steps. After clicking on the upside-down triangle on the top right corner of the page opens the settings menu, users then select “security.” Here, users in the United States have the option to select and edit their legacy contact.BYU-Hawaii students seem to have mixed opinions on the newest addition to Facebook. Luis Arredondo, a sophomore majoring in political science from Mexico, said, “I think people are so dominated by social media that it is crazy people who would take the time to be in charge of another person’s Facebook.”Not everyone believes the addition to the social network is a “dumb idea,” as Arredondo stated. According to AP, Facebook Product Manager Vanessa Callison-Burch said there has been “hundreds of thousands” of requests to do something like this.Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

It was standing room only as family, friends, community members, surfers and artists filled Surfer the Bar at Turtle Bay Resort on Feb. 9, the date that marked the 10-year anniversary of the passing of legendary surf photographer and BYU-Hawaii alumnus Jon Mozo. The Mozo family shared their experiences and introduced the upcoming documentary “Transcend,” a tribute to their father, husband, and friend. Jon’s legacy lives through his photos and his family, who share their continued love for photography and the ocean with everyone around them. All four of Jon’s children talked about their relationship with their father. They recounted the cherished memories that still flood them with emotions of love and support. They also talked about how they had to adjust to living without a dad. The difficulties that come from losing someone and the continued support and presence they feel from him still today.His daughter Amber Mozo said, “Even if you just met him once, you feel so close to him. He is so talented and known for his photography, but he really was just the best dad. That is what matters more than anything else in the world. Family is the most important thing in this world.”Niki Mozo, Jon’s wife, explained the significance of one of her favorite photos called “A Higher Source.” The photo shows the sun beaming through the underside of a wave about to break. Niki said it was not only an amazing and challenging shot, but it was also very symbolic. She said, “During the past 10 years there have been storms and rough times, but I know the light will always return. This photo is symbolic of that.” Jon paved the way for surf photographers on the North Shore and around the world. Aaron Nelson, a BYUH alumnus from Hawaii, said, “For me, he is a legend, especially as he was one of the first to go out and shoot empty waves. You can see how that has taken off for a lot of people like Clark Little and others.” Marc Gardner, a senior in social work from Australia, said, “Jon is extremely inspiring. Just from his photos and legacy he left behind, you can feel the love and passion he had for the ocean and photography.”Jon performed in a time when equipment was different than the kind photographers use today. Gardner said, “He obviously shot in film and that is the next level. Even though it is 10 or 15 years later, his photographs are still just timeless. A lot of people can thank Jon for their success and careers in the water these days. He was one of the legends and still is today.”Nelson added, “Jon to me was a true artist. He knew how to compose a shot and he put life into each shot and that is what set Jon apart.” The documentary “Transcend” stemmed from a S.I.F.E, now called Enactus, project started by Nelson. “I was actually involved with S.I.F.E. when I was in school and the documentary ‘Transcend’ was my project for the S.I.F.E. program. I got the project started, and contacted Devin Graham to get him on board and got some things organized,” said Nelson. Graham, a well-known videographer, explained Mozo’s method: “He would paddle out there and take 24 or 36 pictures. Every picture he took had to count. That alone fascinates me so much: he had to fight for each shot.” He also said, “I was approached about making the film, and when they told me about Jon and what he did as a surf photographer, I felt a connection and wanted to be a part of it.” Nelson said, “The reason I thought it was necessary to do a documentary was because of the legacy that Jon left behind. We are in a world where surf photography is just saturated and with technology being the way it is you can snap a thousand photos in a day and then go home and just pick through them. But that is what sets Jon apart, he went out with a certain number of shots and had to know which shots will look best and how to position himself in the water.”Graham continued, “Seeing how Jon’s legacy has carried over to his family is inspirational. His kids have taken on his legacy and made it their own. Now they are passing on their legacy to others and it just keeps going generation to generation.” Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

From a young age, Political Science Professor Brian Houghton said he experienced the effects of terrorism firsthand. Those experiences triggered his desire to pursue a career in counter terrorism, a field in which he spent over 20 years. Houghton’s father was in the military, which brought teenaged Houghton and his family to live in Germany. During this time the radical left-wing terrorist group, the Red Army Faction, was just beginning raids through Germany. Houghton personally witnessed several Red Army Faction attacks while living there, and again when he returned to serve a full-time mission for the church. From that point, “I knew I was going to work in the field of counter terrorism. I was going to play a role in stopping these acts,” said Houghton.Reed Segura, a junior political science major from California, said, “Some professors speak of theories that others have tested. But with Dr. H., many of the theories he teaches his students have been explored and tested by himself in a setting outside academia. It’s fascinating when you learn from someone who has experienced, rather than philosophized. It gives validity to what they have to say.” Upon finishing his degree at BYU in international relations, he pursued a master’s degree from The G.W. University in International Affairs. Houghton sought out G. W. University because it had the most professors who specialized in political violence and terrorism. At the time, the field of counter terrorism was fairly new, and there was no emphasis for those wanting to study it, so Houghton and his professors created one. After completing his degree, Houghton worked as a research associate at the S.A.L.C. as a defense contractor. Houghton said, “My job was to work on futuristic war games for the Pentagon. It was a great job.” While there, Houghton predicted through his research how large U.S. forces would fight smaller insurgencies, which is what we see today. “That is something I am really proud of,” said Houghton. “We got it right. It was in the ‘90s before Iraq or 9/11 and we were able to predict how these wars would be fought. I was then able to work with other intelligence agencies in supporting policy changes to combat these smaller groups that the U.S. would be fighting.” He continued, “A lot of the things I see today are suggestions I brought up or talked about 20 years ago. It just takes the military a long time to make changes.”Houghton worked in numerous capacities during the last 20 years, including director of Research on the Oklahoma bombing site, co-founder of the Terrorism Research Center, and others. He still continues to travel the globe to give trainings for local law enforcement and military who are fighting terrorism in their home countries for the U.S. State Department. Houghton confessed that after 9/11, the rigors of travel were wearing on him. One day, “A friend told me of a one-year visiting professor job at BYUH and I took it. I had every intention of going back to the State Department, but after one year, I was hooked,” he said. “Working with the students here is addictive. That is why I stayed. There is just a good group of really talented young people.”Kamille Foster, freshman in political science from Idaho, said, “I think it’s awesome how he uses his real world experiences to teach us. He has firsthand knowledge of most of the things he teaches. It’s not like he reads what he teaches us. He’s done what he teaches us.”Houghton attributes his success to the extra things he did while he was in school and offers students some advice for a successful career: “You have to do something to differentiate yourselves. Do a meaningful internship; get a good job while you’re here. Join a club, start your own non-profit, just do things that will make you unique.”He continued, “Everyone will graduate from here with a degree, but what are you doing to make yourself special? Follow your passions. Get all the education you need for your desired field, then show how you are applying your education in the real world.” Houghton currently teaches an anti-terrorism class on campus and uses many of the same slides and techniques in his class as he does for his trainings with the State Department. Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

When asked how the dropping gas prices has affected her, Lindsey Mulberg, a junior majoring in music percussion from Washington, said, “Definitely been able to go more places because it’s not five bucks a gallon anymore. It was like $2.65 at Costco.”With gas prices being the lowest they’ve been since 2009, reports AAA, people with cars have been able to afford gas to see more of the island. Students without cars, like twins Nicole and Kelly Nahoolewa from Texas, both seniors with majors in art, find it affects them less, although they have been able to notice the lower prices. “We noticed around Christmas time,” Kelly said. Les Harper, the BYU-Hawaii Sustainability coordinator from Canada, stated the lowered oil prices began when Saudi Arabia started to flood the market with oil in response to America’s budding independence and self-sufficiency due to the new technology of fracking. Fracking is what happens when the oil companies drill down into the ground, breaking up the shale so the oil can seep through. Harper explained that oil is extracted from the ground, but it costs extra money to attain it in this manner. “When oil’s at $100 a barrel, it costs maybe $80 a barrel to get it out of the ground, so there’s still money to be made,” Harper shared. When a well costs so much to get oil out of the ground, the crude oil price starts to go down, and certain wells are closed until only the cheapest ones are still going. Harper said, “As a consumer, it’s a wonderful thing, because air flights should be cheaper, your vehicles should be cheaper, anything made from oil should be cheaper, and eventually that will happen.”As Saudi Arabia was losing a valuable buyer in the United States, it decided to flood the market and drop the price. Even though Saudi Arabia is losing money, it knows it will come back, according to Harper. Despite the lower gas prices, producers in the United States are fighting even harder to sell their own crude oil overseas, according to Associated Press. Despite low prices, oil producers are confident that in the long run, there will be big profits from new markets. AP explained there is still enough U.S. oil to keep and export overseas.Little is known about how long gas prices will stay down, yet while they are down, people will take advantage of it. Harper added, “More people should be coming to Hawaii now.”Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015

BYU-Hawaii’s literary journal, the Kula Manu, is filled with stories, art, and poetry from students, faculty, and community members. Students and members of the community are given the opportunity to submit an art piece, photo, essay, short story, or poem. A prize is awarded to the two best submissions in each category, with $100 being awarded to first place and $50 to second. The Kula Manu allows for students to share what they love and help them connect more to the community. “It’s a way for people to be able to express themselves. I dance, and it is a form of expression. There are a lot of different ways to express yourself,” said Sinaiya Eskeets, a freshman from Nevada majoring in exercise and sports science.Joseph Plicka, the professor teaching Advanced Creative Writing (the class publishing the Kula Manu), has been in charge of the publication for three years. “It has been a record of what our students are writing, and photography and art. Its a wonderful thing to be a part of,” said Plicka. “And it’s the only place where students can display their work in the narrative arts.”Ever since the 1960s, the Kula Manu has published stories written by people from all over the world and are available to read in the library for decades to come. Being a diverse school, people from the United States, the Philippines, and the Pacific Islands and more have contributed to the journal. “It’s not only a way to serve the students but also hopefully a way to bring the community together because a lot of what is written is born from people’s experiences living here,” added Plicka. Every year students sign up for a class, usually English 318R, to oversee, edit, lay out, and publish the literary journal, giving students a chance to have a hands-on experience with creating a publication. “The most exciting thing about working in the Kula Manu is collaborating with other students and seeing their ideas on various topics we bring up or are involved with,” shared Karina King, a senior in sculpting and ceramics from California, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Kula Manu. At the end of Winter Semester, a reception is scheduled to honor those whose entries where included in the publication and a copy of the Kula Manu is given to them. Afterward, free copies of the Kula Manu will be available to the public to share and learn more about ideas, things in the community, or outside experiences fellow peers share. Students can submit their work by emailing the Kula Manu at kulamanu2015@gmail.com.Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

After 10 hours, Dr. Ronald Miller, associate professor of psychology, said he and his wife, Patricia, knew they wanted to be married. After 20 years and nine children, Miller said they still feel the same way.Raised as a devout atheist, Miller said he avoided the concept of religion until he met the missionaries in Washington, D.C. He had an experience with the Book of Mormon where he said he gained his own witness of God, Christ and the truthfulness of the LDS Church. He was baptized one week after the experience on Dec. 16, 1990. In December of 1991, in Washington, D.C., Miller accompanied his friend to a renaissance society party where he met Patricia. “When I first saw her, I thought she was married. She was in a silver ball gown, and I was dressed as a prince with a black cape.” After exchanging information, she agreed to go on a date starting at the D.C. Temple. Being a nonmember, she referred to the Temple as “Camelot.” Ronald was 21 and Patricia was 20.They met at 2 p.m., but Miller said, “It was such a great date, we kept on extending it.” They went to the Lincoln Memorial, a fancy restaurant, and danced in the National Gallery of Art. Said Miller, “If you take off your shoes, and you’re just in your socks, you can slide 30 feet. As long as you didn’t come near any of the paintings, the police wouldn’t do anything.”After a full day, they went to the temple and watched temple marriage videos. Patricia told Ronald as a teenager, she prayed asking Heavenly Father if she would ever meet her husband. After her prayer, she realized she would be able to know what she would feel like around her husband. To Miller on that first date she said, “I feel around you like I felt in that dream. I feel as if you’re my husband.” Miller asked, “So what does that mean?” She responded that it meant they should get married. The Millers were engaged on their first date. Miller explained, “When I sat in the car with her going down to D.C., within 15 minutes I started to feel the same Spirit that I felt that converted me to the church. I didn’t know who this woman was, or her last name, but I knew she was going to be my wife.”Miller recounted, “I didn’t tell her I was a member of the church. She went back to Northwestern University in Chicago, took the discussions, and called me saying she was going to get baptized. I told her ‘I’m a member of that church.’ She said it’s so good that you didn’t tell me because I probably would have been baptized because of you, but now I know it’s my own conversion.” Instead of getting married right away, the Millers each decided to serve missions. “As converts, we felt we wanted to be sealed, but also serve missions. My patriarchal blessing, particularly, indicated that I would serve a mission before marriage, while my wife’s said it was her choice to serve.”Ronald was called to serve a mission in Puerto Rico. He said he would write Patricia on preparation day and give recommendations on things to do in D.C. Patricia was called to Rome, Italy.After Ronald and Patricia returned from their missions, they both had a prompting to get married sooner, rather than later. Two weeks after Patricia came home, on Feb. 4, 1995, they eloped to the Dallas Texas Temple. They married jobless, homeless, and with the threat of their families disowning them. After changing the opinion of his angry grandmother (by explaining that she would be a great grandmother), she helped them find a place to live in Texas. They lived there until heading to BYU. Ronald was 24 and Patricia was 23.After recently celebrating their 20-year anniversary on Feb. 4, Ronald shared his insights about marriage. He said, “The most important thing you can do is marry your best friend. When you get married, what you really want is someone who will listen to you, someone who will love to hear your opinions, and spend time with you, and with whom you want to do the same.” He discussed why some people marry for looks and the consequences of such a reason. “If you marry for beauty, you’re buying into something that with every year you will be more disappointed with. If you latch onto things that don’t last, you’re happiness won’t last. If you latch onto things that are eternal, and that person has a testimony, then you have latched onto something that improves every year and you will feel as though your choice to marry him or her is so much better as time goes by.”Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

Nutrition scientists at Purdue University are concerned that additional vitamins put into drinks on supermarket shelves are not only unnecessary, but also potentially harmful, according to the New York Times.“I never pay attention to what they say in the labels. I don’t care about what vitamins they added in the drinks; I just like the tastes. I think those added nutrients are good, but not natural. I agree with the idea that those vitamins are unnecessary for our body,” said Rachel Cottle, a sophomore in business finance from Utah.Mridul Datta, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition Science at Purdue University, said to New York Times, “You have vitamins and minerals that occur naturally in foods, and then you have people taking supplements, and then you have all these fortified foods, it adds up to quite an excess. There’s the potential for people to get a lot more of these vitamins than they need.” A study published by Datta and M.Z. Vitolins in July also found, today more than ever, people’s nutrient intakes are beyond the safe limits set by the Institute of Medicine. Experts say antioxidants, which are artificially put in commercial drinks, are used by the body to eliminate free radicals that can damage cells. However, the body also relies on free radicals to resist infections and cancerous cells. Excessive amounts of antioxidants make the body unbalanced. Taylor Long, a junior from Idaho majoring in business finance, shared her opinion about this phenomenon: “I think vitamin drinks are a good concept, but we should keep in balance in drinks or eating. Too much of anything will not be good.”A study from the University of Toronto published Feb. 2015 analyzed 46 beverages sold in supermarkets. They found most of them contained vitamin B6, B12, niacin and vitamin C, in amounts well past the average daily requirements for young adults. Valerie Tarasuk, the lead author of this study, said, “It’s very hard to figure out the logic the manufacturers are using to do this fortification. There’s no way that the things that are being added are things that anybody needs or stands to benefit from.” People can absorb most of their daily nutrients through their diet, she said. However, added vitamins undoubtedly may aid some people, including women who are pregnant or lactating, and those who lack nutrients. “I don’t think those added vitamins are necessary for the people who have a healthy diet, but not everyone always eats healthy, especially the students here on campus,” said Bechy Demartini, a Reference Librarian of eight years in the BYUH library. She continued, “Yes, it must be much better to absorb natural nutrients from an average diet. For those who have problems to do this, the vitamin drinks may be helpful.” Demartini said she was uncertain of the studies’ findings. “I am wondering about this research. So far, they couldn’t affect me too much. I need do more of my own researching in order to make sure about it,” Demartini said. Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.

After having a bumpy start to their 2015 season, the Lady Seasiders got their first wins of the season, sweeping visiting Pacific (Oregon) in a doubleheader, 4-3 and 3-1. Freshman Courtney Hiruko led the Lady Seasiders with an impressive offensive display going 4-for-5 with two runs, two walks, and a steal. Sophomore outfielder Josey Walker also came up big for the Lady Seasiders, finishing with a .333 batting average and two RBIs. “I’m really happy for the girls,” said Head Coach Alexandra Shamo. “Our team came out ready to play today and we finally put the pieces together.” Pitchers Chelsie Childs and Brittany Vasquez each recorded their first wins.The Lady Seasiders got two runs in the fifth inning off of hits from both Walker and Vasquez that put the game level at 3-3. At the top of the 6th inning, a double by Pacific put a runner in scoring position with two outs. However, Childs was clutch getting the next batter to hit a fly out to left, bringing the inning to a close.The teams would continue going back and forth until the bottom of the ninth inning when Hiruko led off with a single. After a bunt by Kalynn Latu put Hiruko into scoring position, Vasquez hit a single up the middle that the Pacific centerfielder struggled to grab, allowing Hiruko to score the game-winning run.In the second game, the Lady Seasiders grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning to take control of the game. Pacific scored a run in the fourth, to which the Lady Seasiders responded with a run of their own to keep the 2-run lead at 3-1. BYUH’s defense held Pacific from mounting any comeback as the Lady Seasiders closed out their second win and the doubleheader sweep.The two wins come as a huge boost of momentum for the Lady Seasiders who were 0-6 leading up to the game. Just a few days earlier, the Lady Seasiders suffered a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Simon Fraser. There were, however, a few bright spots that the Lady Seasiders took away from the double header against Simon Fraser. In the second game, the Lady Seasiders almost made a comeback after finding themselves down 5-0 at the bottom of the second. The Lady Seasiders responded with a comeback to tie the game 5-5. However, Simon Fraser had a two-run sixth and three-run seventh to put the Lady Seasiders away 10-6. The six runs scored in the second game of the doubleheader were the most scored by the Lady Seasiders in a game so far this season. “This game was proof that we are capable of putting the runs on the board,” said sophomore 3rd baseman and right fielder Tiffany Smith, an exercise science major from Torrance, Calif. Uploaded Feb. 19, 2015.