Ke Alaka'i - Jan. 2016 Issue

J a n u a r y 14 , 2 015 · Vo l u m e 113 : I s s u e 6

Page 8-9 SPED class bonds with cerebral palsy child Page 10-11 Volunteers work to restore Kaho’olawe to its former state Page 14 First student from Nauru comes to BYUH

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THE LEAD ER

January 14, 2016 • Volume 113: Issue 6 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ADVISOR

E m i ly H a lls

Le e A n n Lambe r t

MULTIMEDIA

COPY EDITORS

JOURNALISTS

Jare d R o be r ts

Rachel Reed

A ly ssa T royan e k

Matthew Roberts

Samo n e Yu e n

Eric Hachenberger

Kevin Brown

Leiani Brown Megan Church

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Brittanie Vorwaller

Ke lsie C arlso n

Alex Maldonado

Lexie K ape lie la

Alyssa Olsen

A u stin E n ge man n

Taylor Polson

Sto p Kh e mth o r n

Danna Osumo VIDEOGRAPHERS INTERNS

C amro n Sto ck f o rd

S a m o n e Yue n

Jo sh u a Maso n

H e c t o r Pe r i q uin

D o ro thy C h iu

ART & GRAPHICS

ART DIRECTOR H e cto r Pe r iqu in

A n d re a M a r s h a ll M a c ke n z ie M c L e o d Yu k i m i K is h i

People walk beside the Mississippi River after midnight. Photo by Abriel Mauerman, a sophomore from Florida studying business management.

CONTACT

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ON THE COVER: The island of Kaho‘olawe is unpopulated, as it used to be where the U.S Military tested weaponry. This shot looks from the island to neighbor isle of Maui. Photo by Robert Law

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e-mail us your high resolution photos with caption at kealakai@byuh.edu

ABOUT US

The Ke Alaka‘i began publishing the first year the university was started and has continued printing for 60 years. The name in Hawaiian means “the leader.” It began as a monthly newsletter, evolved into a weekly newspaper and is now a weekly news magazine along with a website,YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.

Today a staff of more than 25 students works to provide information for the campus ohana and community.

TABLE OF

CONTENTS 4

A timeline of significant world and church events in 2016

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President Nelson shares four ways millennials can reach their highest potential

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The Little Circle became a rink for skateboards, roller skates and ripsticks.

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Student Madelyn Giron tells of her Christmas adventure to legally light lanterns

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FOLLOW US AROUND THE WEB Facebook: KE ALAKA’I

Website: KEALAKAI.BYUH.EDU

YouTube: KE ALAKA’I NEWS

SPED class members take their assignment to teach a special needs girl to the next level

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Volunteers work to make Kaho‘olawe, a former military test site, more livable

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Professor says capitalism is responsible for reducing poverty and pollution

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Meet BYUH’s first and only student from the island of Nauru

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Jan. 1 Hawaii law requires theaters to be more accessible for the hearing impaired

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Campus Comment: What are your New Year’s resolutions?

Instagram: @KEALAKAINEWS

JANUARY 14, 2015

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will be a year to

REMEMBER B Y TH E K E AL AKA‘I STAF F

Suva Fiji Temple Rededication

Provo City Temple dedication Panama Canal expansion

Iosepa voyage Olympics

Culture Night

Presidential elections

Concert Choir tour to Japan 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Events of 2016 BY MORMON NEWSROOM AND AP

WORLD WORLD

CHURCH & CULTURE CULTURE & SCHOOL

Virtual reality

Pres. Nelson tells millennials they can accomplish the impossible B Y L E I A NI BR OWN

President Russell M. Nelson gave students four steps to become true millennials during the first worldwide devotional of 2016.

Photo by Stop Khemthorn

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resident of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Russell M. Nelson, and his wife, Wendy, offered new perspectives to the terms “millennial” and “desperation” in this year’s first worldwide devotional for young adults broadcast from the BYU-Hawaii campus.

The couple spoke on topics relating to identity and potential – words that resonated with BYUH students.

“I felt the spirit really strongly,” said freshman business management major Kris Zhang from China. “I really liked when [President Nelson] talked about our identity and also his other point about following the prophet.”

After a brief introduction by Billy G. Casey, president of the Laie YSA 2nd Stake, he BYUH Concert Choir performed “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” arranged by Mack Wilberg.

“It was such a wonderful experience to be able to perform,” said freshman Amanda Tietjen from Idaho. “For a lot of us, including me, this was our last performance with this great group for various reasons, including missions or graduation. I can’t think of a better way to finish all together than to bring the spirit into a devotional that was around the world.”

Euijin Oh, a junior majoring in elementary education from South Korea, attended the devotional and said she enjoyed listening to the choir. “Usually when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or BYU Choir do that song, they have a huge orchestra because it is super powerful,” said Oh. “This time there wasn’t a huge orchestra. It was only the piano. I thought they were amazing that they still could make that song strong and have that powerful impact.”

Sister Wendy W. Nelson spoke first about making and keeping New Year’s resolutions, briefly recapping a few stories from the

New Testament in which people were desperate for healing and aid in their lives. She then related it to student life and the desperation involved with assignments and grades.

“Here’s the good news,” declared Sister Nelson, “desperation can actually be a great motivator.”

Continuing with stories of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail and George Q. Cannon with tithing, she said, “When we’re desperate to become the people we were born to be, our vision changes. We wake up from the spiritual amnesia the adversary so cleverly administers.”

While expounding on the idea of becoming the person God needs young adults to be, Sister Nelson offered an experiment with prayer and urged the audience to fully repent of unresolved sins.

“I really liked his wife’s 30-day challenge: pray to thank the Lord for the blessings of the Book of Mormon, then to ask a daily question and read until you get the answer,” said Bryce Nattress, a freshman from Idaho with an undecided major.

President Nelson followed his wife, speaking on the subject of “Becoming True Millennials.” He used the term “millennial” to refer to this generation of young adults, but what he said was done in a more positive light than the world’s perception.

“It was a really personal and true message to me,” said Oh. “I tend to be kind of harsh on myself and look for weaknesses, and I feel a little depressed about myself sometimes. After listening to their messages, I knew I needed to change and realized that I am a good person because I am a child of God. I felt that he was really meaning that talk for us. He was directly talking to us.”

Throughout the course of his speech, President Nelson gave four recommendations to becoming true millennials: 1) learn who you really are; 2) expect to prepare and accomplish the impossible; 3) learn how to access the power of heaven; and 4) follow the prophets.

“I loved the first point of learning who you really are, and how he said that we taught and were taught in the pre-mortal life to prepare for this life: ‘It’s in you,’” said Nattress.

“Also, the invitation to ask the Lord how he sees you, and what he expects you to do, then to record impressions and follow exactly. The topic is just what we need as young adults: remember who you are.”

Biology major Echo Chen, a freshman from China, said she enjoyed seeing President Nelson and hearing him deliver his message with humor and enthusiasm. “I liked how he said we are the chosen generation and that we need to be prepared to do impossible things,” said Chen, “because right now I feel like I’m doing many impossible things with all my assignments and everything. But it gave me hope because he said God won’t let us do anything without a guide. So it is possible. I just need to do it.”

Zhang, a returned missionary, said he had heard President Nelson speak during his time in the MTC. “I especially liked the part at the end where President Nelson blessed us,” said Zhang. “I’d heard him speak before, but I’ve never heard an apostle bless the people like that before.”

In his closing apostolic statement, President Nelson blessed “each one of you as though I had my hands upon your heads with the ability to become the true millennial you were born to be.”

JANUARY 14, 2015

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Riding skateboards, scooters, ripsticks and wearing roller skates, students and locals used the Little Circle like a roller disco on Jan. 8. Photo by Stop Khemthorn

BYU-Hawaii turns Flag Circle into roller rink Students and community members gathered together for a night of games and skating B Y AL E X M AL D O N AD O

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he Student Events team transformed the Little Circle into a roller disco on Jan. 8 from 8-10 p.m., complete with competitive games, prizes, and music provided by local deejay Viliami Toilolo.

Sifa Talakai, shift supervisor for BYUHawaii Security oversaw the event and said, “I think it’s great the school is offering this kind of variety for the kids to come out for. Some of them might not be interested in going to a dance, but they love skating so they will show up [tonight]. This is kind of an outreach to the community kids as well. I think it’s wonderful.”

When the night was still young, the ring was quite scarce of skaters, according to Mimo Yuen, a high school senior from Hauula, who said attendance stayed thin for about 20 or so minutes after the 8 p.m. starting time.

She said she didn’t mind the emptiness, because “[my sister and I] had the whole ring to ourselves for a while and that was fun.”

The event was free for all and offered several games at a booth in the center of the Flag Circle where competitors had a chance to

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win prizes like the movies “Jurassic Park” and “The Princess Bride,” water bottles, and even laundry soap, according to Nathan McKinney, supervisor of the Student Events team, who is a senior from California studying hospitality and tourism management.

McKinney was chiefly responsible for planning the roller rink and described the games as, “minute-to-win-it-style games” where players would race to see who could most quickly complete tasks like flipping a plastic spoon into a red cup or shooting rubber bands at the cups until they fell off the table.

Kei Riggins, a junior from California majoring in vocal performance, is also a member of the Student Events team and said, “We did [this] last year, and it was a really big success. So we wanted to try it again this year. We were hoping to have about 150 people or more show up but were happy with how many came in the end.”

People came and went during the night, and there were between 50-to-80 people at any given time enjoying the festivities.

“It doesn’t matter how many people show up. It’s just about having fun tonight. I like skateboarding, [and] I like music. Put them together into one package and I’m going to love it,” said Halston “Hollywood” Wood, a freshman from Idaho studying biochemistry.

According to Riggins, the night took about a month to plan for and a day to set up.

To prepare, the event team closed off the Little Circle in the morning to ensure no cars would be parked there when it was time for the fun to start.

Riggins said the night was a success, and she wants students to look out for upcoming events her team is planning. Students can find more information on the Facebook page, “BYUH Student Events,” which is regularly updated.

She said the next big events to watch out for are the BYUH Student Olympics, which will take place Jan. 27-29, and a student talent show in mid-February.

A plan for lighting lanterns at Christmas goes wrong Student researches where it’s legal to release them B Y M A DELY N G IRO N

I went through a lot of trouble to light some air lanterns, like the ones in the movie “Tangled,” during the Christmas holidays.

I was really excited about lighting some lanterns I got as an early Christmas present from my friend, until I found out it’s illegal to light air lanterns and set them off in Hawaii.

What a bummer! It’s not like there are other states close by where I could go to light the lanterns. I live on an island thousands of miles away from the closest state. So, I was stuck.

Christmas break was coming up, and I didn’t have plans to go home to the mainland because it is so expensive to travel.

However, not all things go as planned, and in this case, it worked to my advantage. My sister got her mission call to serve as a missionary for the LDS Church and would leave on Jan. 20. That meant if I didn’t go home for Christmas, I wouldn’t see her for almost two years.

It also meant I might have the opportunity to light my lanterns in a state where it is legal.

After breaking my bank account on a plane ticket, I was set to go home for the holidays.

Immediately, I went on Google and searched the air lantern policy for the state of Louisiana, where my family lives.

My eyes beamed with excitement. I felt them grow wider and wider as I typed the words on the screen. When suddenly, I read the words: “Illegal to light air lanterns in the state

of Louisiana.” My eyes deflated like a balloon along with my heart. But I didn’t give up.

I searched the state of Mississippi, and it too was illegal to light the lanterns there.

I searched Alabama, but it was illegal there as well. Finally I checked Texas and then those magic words came on the screen.

“Texas fire marshals have tried to outlaw air balloons but no laws have been officially signed.”

I’ve never read anything so magical. I was so excited. I decided to call my mom to let her know she would be driving me about six hours to Texas to light air lanterns. But then I thought about it and decided it would be a better idea to tell her in person so she wouldn’t say no. That was a more foolproof plan.

I was all packed and ready to go home for the break. How exciting! I get to be with my family, spend time with my sister before she leaves for 18 months, and fulfill my dream of lighting air lanterns.

I got home and prepared to tell my mom the news. I would have an awesome presentation and show her the lanterns in person. When she saw them, I thought she couldn’t say no. I went to get them out of my bags. I looked and looked but nothing. Then I remembered. I forgot to put them in my bags when I was packing.

“I read the words: ‘Illegal to light air lanterns in the

state of Louisiana.’

My eyes deflated like a balloon

along with my

heart. But I didn’t

give up.”

People in Italy lit similar lanterns around Christmastime that the writer, Madelyn Giron, hoped to launch in the state of Texas about six hours drive from her home in Louisiana.

Photo by AP JANUARY 14, 2015

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The SPED 370 class taught by Dr. Barbara Hong takes a photo with the Akoteu family and Education Department staff. Students in the class include Kelepi Akoteu, Aubree Cameron, Ka Wai Chiang, Chesie Lambert, Korin Lopez and Tiffany Ng. Photo by Lexie Kapeliela

More than Classwork Father says SPED 370 students have brought blessings to his family B Y SAM O N E YU E N

Working with a 7-year-old girl from Tonga with cerebral palsy named Maikale, along with her family members who are living in TVA, students in this semester’s SPED 370 class have gone above and beyond what they were assigned to do, said Dr. Barbara Hong, who teaches Special Education classes.

Hong said her students are helping Maikale and her family, but “it is nothing to do with the credits. It’s just wonderful.”

Maikale’s father, Kelepi Akoteu, brought his wife, and three of his six children to Laie through the LDS Church’s International Teacher Education Program. He is part of this semester’s SPED class as well.

Hong said her class created two goals for Maikale: “To be able to stand and to be able to express something for herself.” This is part of learning about IEPs, or Individual Education Programs, documents teachers use to set goals when teaching special needs children.

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The students in the class spend at least an hour every day reading books and doing matching or coloring activities with Maikale and her two siblings, Lavender and Seini. Students work with Maikale at Laie Elementary School as well as at home.

But Hong said the students decided to focus on helping the whole Akoteu family and preparing them for when they return to Tonga in a few months. In their home country, there are limited resources for Maikale.

Akoteu said in Tonga, there isn’t a doctor that is suited for Maikale’s needs and she wasn’t unable to even sit up by herself. However, when they came to BYUH in January 2015, they took her to a hospital here and she got surgery that reconfigured her bones. Now, “She can sit properly by herself. We were so happy,” said Kelepi.

“We see now - the bones are still growing. The bones will get stronger and we

need to exercise her,” he added. Hong said she is training the parents in physical therapy and academic teaching so they can continue to provide Maikale with the help she needs when they return home.

Since the class has begun spending time with the family, her father has seen a change in Maikale. “My daughter is really excited when someone knocks on the door and she sees the student,” said Kelepi.

Chelsie Lambert, a junior from Utah studying elementary education and pursuing a special education certificate, said she goes over to the Akoteu’s TVA home more than she is required to for class.

While the goal of the class is centered around Maikale, Lambert said she interacts a lot with Seini and Lavender as well.

“We help more than we thought,” Lambert said. She recalled a time where she handed books to Seini and Lavender and

Top: Chelsie Lambert smiles at 7-year-old Maikale Akoteu, who Lambert helps with reading and matching games at school and home.

Below: Kelepi Akoteu and his family came to Hawaii from Tonga a year ago through a church International Teacher Education Program.

Photos by Lexie Kapeliela

afterward asked them to explain the stories to her.

They did.

Lambert said working with Seini and Lavender sometimes makes Maikale jealous. “She’s super animated. She’ll hit my leg like, ‘Pay attention to me,’” Lambert explained.

One time, Lambert said she asked Maikale, “‘Which Disney princess are you?’ She pointed to Tiana from ‘The Princess and the Frog.’ Then I said, ‘Which princess am I?’ and she pointed to Repunzel. I was like, ‘Yeah!’”

The students are also helping the children improve their English language skills.

“When we first came here, we wanted them to play outside with the other kids to get the language. They didn’t want to,” Kelepi said. “But now, they are always outside. It gets to be evening and we want to get them back inside, but they don’t want to come in!”

“It is a blessing for us, for them to learn the language,” he said.

Talking about Maikale’s improvement after working with the students, Kelepi said, “She is understanding everything very well.” Maikale cannot speak words clearly, but she nods and shakes her head to respond to questions.

“We count this as a blessing for us,” said Kelepi. “Not only do the students come and read to her and my other kids, they pronounce correctly.”

Kelepi said knowing English is a great skill he hopes his children can keep, and because he and his wife don’t “pronounce English properly,” he is especially grateful for the students.

For example, he said when his family has Family Home Evening, Maikale is “going to do the prayer first. We love to give her the chance to do it in front of us.”

Kelepi added, “She loves to read the book.

It is very helpful for everyone.”

For the Christmas holidays, Hong said the students wanted to do something extra for the Akoteu family and gave a bin full of Christmas presents to them. Hong said it was a student, Korin Lopez, who put it together with the help of her generous mother and brother, who bought all the gifts.

Lambert said she also took the three Akoteu children to sing Christmas carols. “It was cute,” she said. “Seini was singing all day.”

JANUARY 14, 2015

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Restoring the island of

KAHO’OLAWE B Y RACH E L R EED

The west shore of the island of Maui can be seen off the shore of Kaho’olawe. Photo by Robert Law

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he island of Kaho‘olawe was once an island with an abundance of Hawaiian plants and culture, but due to outside influence, it has become an island of harsh red dirt and rocks. Visible from Maui’s west shore and 20 minutes away by boat, Kaho‘olawe is inaccessible due to the presence of unexploded ordinances that cover the island.

The island of Kaho‘olawe has gone through different stages that destroyed much of the native flora, causing increased erosion on the island, according to the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission’s (KIRC) website. In 1793, goats were introduced to the island, which caused a sharp loss of vegetation as grazing became uncontrolled. Ranching was also introduced during this time and took over much of the island, according to KIRC.

Kaho‘olawe was turned into a bombing range for the U.S. Military in 1941 after Pearl Harbor was attacked, according to KIRC. The island was used for years for the military to practice and test bombs. Organized groups fought against the increased test bombings until 1980, when the U.S. Navy and the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana, or PKO, signed a decree. This decree agreed to start soil conservation, re-vegetation, and goat eradication programs, according to KIRC’s website. In 1990, President George Bush Sr. gave the official order to stop bombing of Kaho‘olawe, reported KIRC.

Since 1994, the KIRC became established after the Navy gave ownership of the island back to the State of Hawaii. There are no explosives in a 4 foot-deep layer all around the island, reported KIRC.

For KIRC, its mission is more than just restoring the island. Kelly McHugh, grant writer for KIRC from Maui, said it’s also about “educating people about the culture. The second part of our mission is where we are ensuring that the people of Hawaii are caring for the land.”

Despite the dangers of unexploded weaponry, people can still visit the island through volunteering with the KIRC.

Through this service opportunity, volunteers are safely guided to see the island and to help KIRC with its overall mission: to restore Kaho‘olawe.

Wanda Coordner, a past volunteer and a math teacher from Maui, visited because she and her husband “wanted to experience Hawaii.” Now, after volunteering and experiencing the island, Coordner said she wanted to come back to “continue what we’ve started.”

Volunteer Richard Anderson, a retired Maui resident, saw the island from Maui, was interested, and researched it. “My real intrigue was learning about the culture,” he said.

Volunteers who go to Kaho‘olawe usually sign up online through KIRC’s website and then wait for two to six months. Due to the limited funding for KIRC and maintaining the island, not many volunteers get the chance to visit. In 2015, only 200 volunteers came. It is reported that 10,000 people in total have been on the island, according to McHugh.

Kaho‘olawe does not get regular funding from the state despite being a state entity, and most of the funding comes through grants, according to McHugh. “We’re constantly searching for partnerships,” said McHugh. In 2008, over $6 million was provided to KIRC to restore the island but has now diminished to fewer than $1.5 million. This has resulted in a large loss of staff for KIRC and funds stretched thin. “Anything any volunteer is doing on island is part of a grant process,” said McHugh. “Very measured and very strategic.”

This past year, KIRC was working on a grant to plant native Hawaiian plants in a field on the island’s east side and near the beach. The plants have started to grow, helping nourish the soil and prevent erosion. The invasive flora on the island has not been removed because it’s also stopping accelerated erosion.

The most people can do to change the KIRC’s financial situation is to petition legislators for more funding, according to McHugh. This way, more volunteers can come to restore it and learn about the culture. “We don’t have voters on Kaho ‘olawe,” said McHugh. “People find value in research and education of Kaho‘olawe.”

Susan Forsyth, a Maui resident and a retired volunteer, added, “You really need to understand how much work needs to be done.”

JANUARY 14, 2015

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Horrors Success Capitalism’s Horrors and Socialism’s Successes B Y D R. TROY SM I TH , P RO F E SSO R O F P O L I TI CAL SCIENCE AT BYUH

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*Brigham Young did not consider that the United Order could, in nature, be capitalistic, however, J. Reuban Clark, 2nd Counselor to LDS President Heber J. Grant, did.

For more information on the difference between capitalism and socialism, see J.Q.Wilson “The Morality of Capitalism” and F. Hayek “The Road to Serfdom.”

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magine an economic system that massively reduces poverty, that generates prosperity so great and so broadly that the vast majority of people consume more calories, live longer and in better health, and have vastly more and better jobs and entertainment options than royalty did for countless centuries. Also, under this economic system, as the people’s wealth and prosperity grows so, too, does the cleanliness and health of the environment, and peace and cooperation among nations. Oh, and it is all based on individuals pursuing happiness as they deem best. Wouldn't that be amazing, incredible, and desirable? Who wouldn't want that?

We have it. It is called capitalism.

More than anything else in the entire history of the world, capitalism has been the greatest eliminator of poverty. This is based on data from the World Bank, and The Economist reported it in June 2013: “Nearly 1 billion

people have been taken out of extreme poverty in 20 years. The world should aim to do the same again. Most of the credit, however, must go to capitalism and free trade, for they enable economies to grow – and it was growth, principally, that has eased destitution.”

It has been so successful at this that you no longer hear about a “war on poverty.”

Instead, anti-capitalists have shifted their attacks from poverty to inequality. Yet, the structural inequalities they attribute to capitalism are more often due to government regulations that protect politically influential interests from market competition.

Capitalism is also a net positive for the environment. As wealth grows, people’s desire for a cleaner environment grows; capitalism provides the money and technology to achieve that. Today, America produces significantly more products and has much

ses cleaner air and water than 50 years ago. It also has more trees, parks, and protected preserves than it did at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Yes, this is due largely to government regulations, but they are regulations that work with the market rather than displace it, because free markets require good government regulation and oversight.

Similarly, capitalism, not government programs, allowed the United States to hit the Kyoto Protocol’s CO2 target reductions early, which can be seen at eia.gov.

Capitalism encouraged the development of new technologies to tap cheap and clean natural gas reserves that have displaced more expensive and dirtier energy sources such as coal. Oh, and alarmists’ dire warnings about “peak oil” have been proven a myth as these new technologies have opened up vast new reserves. The consequence is cleaner

energy and less dependence on the volatile Middle East.

As we move into the 21st Century, our imaginations are captured by what may come. Capitalism has created vast new opportunities and technologies while also vastly reducing poverty and improving the environment. Future opportunities are nearly limitless.

What about capitalism’s negatives?

Opponents claim capitalism is the source of slavery, colonialism and individual alienation.

In truth, they are wrong about this as well.

Alienation, for example, comes not from work but the lack of work. The alternative to capitalism is socialism, which is famous for killing jobs or making work menial or meaningless.

Socialism has never been sustainable for more than a generation before adopting inhuman methods to sustain itself. Ancient Sparta, a socialist economy, enslaved an entire nation of people to sustain itself. Ancient Carthage, also socialist, sustained itself through colonialism; that is why its most famous general, Hannibal, crossed the Alps with elephants to attack Rome.

From Owensville and Israeli kibbutzim to Orderville (and 11 other cities Brigham Young founded using a different application of the United Order*), one will search history and find many efforts to establish socialism, none of which were sustainable without gross human abuses.

The epitome of socialism is 20th Century Marxist societies. While many claim the Soviet Union, China, etc., are not truly Marxist, many philosophers and economists who have studied Marx point out the horrors in the Soviet Union, China, etc., would also happen were Marxism adopted in advanced industrial economies. Those horrors include slavery, murder, totalitarian control, economic stagnation, and vast environmental disasters.

In one century, Marxism was responsible for the death of 100 million people.

These are not people who were at war with the nation – these are people from within a nation whom their government murdered because political leaders desired faster change. This is the ultimate result of socialism – it creates a gross power inequality that allows a few elites to decide the entire fate of everyone else.

Most problems people attribute to capitalism are really the consequence of human

nature. Is capitalism the cause of slavery and colonialism? No, slavery and colonialism are also present in socialist systems. There is no institution or system that is a panacea to the natural man. Political, economic, and other systems may, however, facilitate or impede man’s good and bad natural desires. Capitalism may unleash some humans’ greed but it also enables our will and creative intelligence to make things better.

Capitalism’s foundation is in liberal ideas, the culmination of which is America’s Declaration of Independence. That document justifies America’s divorce from its mother country, England, and the establishment of a new type of state that serves not itself but its people by providing safety and security and the protection of fundamental liberties so individuals may pursue happiness how they deem best.

The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution are based on a simple trust in the common sense and moral purposes of the average man and woman, and a simple belief that freeing individuals to pursue happiness as they think best is the best means for creating flourishing societies and fulfilling individual lives.

The American founders who wrote those documents were not so naïve as to believe freedom alone would accomplish those things. One of the first acts of the new U.S. government was the Northwest Ordinance, which gave land to new towns to build a school and church. America’s founders recognized that for people to use their freedom well they would need both education and religion. That with education and religion, individuals could mostly be left to pursue happiness how they deemed best, and the end result would be a better society.

These two beliefs, that individuals are the best judges of what is best for them, and that individuals should be treated as ends rather than as means, is the basis of liberalism and the foundation of democracy and capitalism. It is also the source of the arguments that for the first time ever challenged and ended slavery and colonialism.

Those who attack capitalism attack the most widely successful economic and environmental system and the very basis of a liberal economic and political order that protects individual freedom. The alternative is an impossible dream that when adopted usually results in inhuman abuses such as slavery, totalitarianism, poverty and environmental degradation.

JANUARY 14, 2015

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Another Country

Jane-Lyn Scotty is the first and so far only student attending BYUHawaii from an island country in Micronesia called Nauru, and recently hoisted her home country’s flag to join the circle that marks the university’s entrance.

Scotty, a political science major, said she has a passion for people and plans to return home to help her country and fellow Nauruans.

“Not a lot of people know where Nauru is, so I’m happy my flag is up there to recognize that I am proud to be Nauruan,” said Scotty.

Scotty joined the LDS Church while attending high school in Kiribati, where she lived with relatives. “In high school, I wasn’t that serious about the church until the end,” said Scotty. “I saw different families happily living the

BY L E I AN I B R O W N gospel and realized I wanted that for my family. It made me really want to be a part of it.”

Currently, Nauru has placed restrictions on the church’s presence in its country. Scotty, who served her mission in the Utah Salt Lake City East Mission, hopes to one day bring the church to Nauru.

Through her membership, Scotty was able to come here to BYUH and receive an education, the best part of which, she said, is the people.

“I love getting to interact with all sorts of different people and getting to know more about their different cultures,” said Scotty.

“I love to just talk to people, meet different people and get to know them. I just talk to anyone.”

Originally, Scotty said she had planned to major in information technology but switched to political science, which so far she loves.

“I love it because it helps me understand how things work, and what’s going on around the Jane-Lyn Scotty from Nauru said she hopes to use the knowledge world,” said Scotty, “and how a she learns at BYUH to bring the church to her home country. government should run.”

joins the

FLAG CIRCLE

Photo by Austin Engemann

14

KE ALAKA I

Because her country’s government is affected by corruption, Scotty said she hopes to return home to change that, beginning with bringing the church.

Elder Sam McCollum and Sister Jeannine McCollum, senior missionaries in the Career and Academic Success Center, met Scotty at the PCC during their scheduled time for distributing tickets. “We encouraged her to come in and see us,” said Sister McCollum.

“We have a map on our wall where we try to put a pin for all the different countries students are from. We currently have about 35-36 different countries,” Sister McCollum added. “We found out she was from a country we hadn't heard about before.”

Elder McCollum checked into the statistical information of the country of Nauru, which, according to him, is the world’s third smallest country. McCollum then informed BYUH President John Tanner about his findings. “I thought it would be really nice if we could have a flag for her, and he agreed,” he said.

“When I first came home from my mission it was hard because there was a specific way I wanted things to work out,” said Scotty, “but it didn’t happen the way that I wanted. Later I realized I didn’t actually want it that way, and I was able to be happy with Heavenly Father’s plan. Everything is going to work out the way Heavenly Father wants it, even though we may not want it at first.”

Elder McCollum said of Scotty, “She has a very positive attitude. She knows where she's going and she sees that she can help her small country so that's what she wants to do.”

After returning from her mission, Scotty came to BYUH. She said not seeing her family for so long is hard. But if there’s anything she has learned, it is “everything is going to work out.”

MOVIES for

the DEAF Hawaii mandates at beginning of 2016 on-screen subtitles for movie theaters B Y A LYS S A OLS EN

With the New Year, Hawaii became the first state to accommodate the hearing and visually impaired in movie theaters, reports Hawaii News Now. Hawaii Governor David Ige signed a bill that was passed by the state House of Representatives in May 2015 requiring movie theaters to provide open captioning, or subtitles on the screen, for at least two showings per week, taking effect on Jan. 1, 2016.

According to Hawaii News Now, theaters had tried closed captioning for individuals, but it didn’t quite work. Hyram Navigator, a freshman intercultural studies major from Arizona, commented on the previous state of closed captioning. “It depended on the theater services that they offered,” Navigator said. “But a lot of times they offered these glasses that would show the subtitles, but they weren't very good. They were really kind of junky, and a lot of times they weren’t in time with the video.”

Echoing Navigator’s sentiment, Billy Kekua, who is deaf, stopped going to theaters because he felt the closed captioning was unreliable and found the eyeglasses uncomfortable, according to Hawaii News Now. “I had to wear the glasses on top of my eyeglasses. It was never a good experience for me as a deaf person,” he reportedly said through an interpreter.

Navigator’s sister owns an international non-profit organization for deaf people and said much of her exposure to the deaf community

came through that and BYU-Hawaii’s American Sign Language Student Association.

Theaters had tried other means of closed captioning that were equally unsuccessful, which brought about the change in Hawaii law.

Kauai Representative James Tokioka, who proposed the bill, said of another theater’s method, “They had a captioning box that went in the cup, but a lot of times, you know, you have to look down, look up, look down, look up. And I know they tried to accommodate deaf people as much as they could, but it was very, very difficult.”

With the new law in place, Kekua and thousands of hard of hearing and deaf individuals will now be able to have equal access to movie theatres. It also successfully brings Hawaii one step closer to achieving full inclusion for deaf and blind communities that was first initiated with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Navigator said of the law, “I think it’s a big improvement because it’s moving less from a standpoint of viewing deaf as disabled and more about viewing it as if they just speak another language. We’re facilitating their ability to come to the movie theater and watch a movie in their language, which is a really big step for our society.”

Navigator said the mandate is leveling the playing field and giving people with disabilities “the opportunities shared by the rest of society.”

JANUARY 14, 2015

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What are your New Year’s resolutions?

B Y AL E X M AL D O NAD O | PH OTO S B Y STO P K H E M TH O RN

Heidi Poppleton Junior in elementary education from California “I have a theme for this year to walk with God. So I’m going to read and study my scriptures and then share what I study with people throughout my day. “

Ben Errico Recently graduated accounting major from Hawaii “My goal is to start [several] businesses in the next year. I’ll be teaching an investment class, I will do tax returns, and then I’ll be selling a product for snow removal back in Utah. The risk to reward ratio is great. Right now I’m making zero dollars so I’ve got nothing to lose.”

Jane Thomas Freshman in biomedicine from Oregon “I would like to rise above my internal challenges by not doubting myself or my abilities to do well in school. I am trying to not psych myself out by thinking I can’t do things that are hard.”

Teone Tahiata Senior in social work from Tahiti “I want to help people within the year and make them feel really special and happy. I will pick one person a month from my surroundings and get to know them a little bit better, figure out what would make them really happy, and try to make it happen for them.”

Ladon Jansrikesorn Senior in fine arts from the Philippines “I’m going to try not to eat fast food at all the whole year to save money and eat healthy. Most of my expenses are from eating out so I would save a lot of money.”

Andrew Ormond Sophomore in computer science from New Zealand “I’m going to organize my time better and keep motivated so I can get straight A’s and I will use skateboarding to balance everything out. [Skateboarding] is a good lesson in life: If you fall down, you gotta get back up.”

Alexander Mosqueda-Winn Freshman in political science and art from California “I want to learn Japanese. Most of my friends here are Japanese and I want to know when their talking about me. I’d also like to be bilingual.”

Lucy Gorniak Freshman in studying intercultural studies from Tasmania “I really want to improve my piano skills. I want to be able to play with my left hand, so I’ll try to practice once a week. I’m also going to improve my Spanish. I want to say at least one prayer in Spanish each day, to listen to Spanish music, and talk to my roommate in Spanish.”