As the New Year began with resolutions made and a chance to start fresh in the new semester, the BYU-Hawaii community shares their predictions for the twists and turns 2014 has in store.“My prediction for 2014? The gym [weight room] will be packed for a week or two and then no one will be there the rest of the year,” said Abigail Smith, a biology senior from Iowa.“2014 is the year of the Jimmy! Jimmy Fallon is moving to the Tonight Show and Seth Meyers is moving to starting a Late Night Show. I’m so incredibly excited!” said Cara Adams, a junior in psychology from California. “With 2014 here, all I can think is I’ll finally be able to know what happens at the end of the ‘Hobbit’ when it comes out in December,” said Gentry Bailey, a Spanish education major from Kona, Hawaii. “And yes, I’m fully aware I could read the book,” he added.“I heard someone say hashtags were a 2013 thing. Not a chance. Hashtags will never die,” said Stephen Adams, a social work major from Alaska.2014 has been labeled the “year of the Jimmy,” and “the year of Seth Meyers,” as Meyers’ face recently graced the cover of Time magazine. The Chinese zodiac calls 2014 the year of the horse.Ke Alaka’i predicts an exciting and eventful 2014 of our own with the unveiling of our Instagram: @kealakainews, our Twitter account: @KeAlakaiNews, our Facebook page, Youtube channel, and our website: kealakai.byuh.edu where students can access local and world news stories. Sports recaps, student life, faculty interviews, and community news can be found through these social media outlets. #ShamelessPlug

A love for his “home away from home” and a desire to do good set BYU–Hawaii alumnus Clayton Kearl on the path to run all of Peru’s coast. In 115 days, Kearl, who graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in business management, ran 1,567 miles, stopping to conduct trash pickups along the way. Now finished, he hopes to turn his run into a documentary to compete at the Sundance Film Festival.

The car-sharing app Uber connects riders to drivers with the tap of a smartphone screen and has been in Honolulu since 2013. As stated in the North Shore magazine Presence, Uber is operating in multiple cities inter-nationally and is set to start services on the North Shore in 2016.

Photo messaging is a new addition to the ever-growing list of the ways people communicate despite controversy from critics who say it detracts from living in the moment. Apps such as Snapchat, combined with an increasing number of smartphone users, allow photo messages to be sent at rates that compete with those of regular text messages.

Incomprehensible math solutions could be seen scribbled onto the walls and the floor, and magazines scattered everywhere, a father and daughter duo could be seen talking intensely on stage in the BYU–Hawaii Theatre Department’s presentation of “Proof” from April 2-6 in the Little Theatre.

Xeno Podcast, hosted by Jackson Grubbe and Carly Stone, English major seniors, invite students and professors to join them and share their knowledge and interests. Stone, from Arizona, shared how her partnership with Grubbe, from Oregon, is like the “Yin and Yang,” and they work together to reach their goals, which are to make the podcast fun and educational.

North Shore Tacos boasts some of the best fish tacos in all of Hawaii. Located at 54-296 Kamehameha Highway in Hau‘ula, North Shore Tacos blends Mexican food with Oahu surf culture, and is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The founding of North Shore Tacos began with Joseph “Joey” Fullmer, who said he came to Hawaii from Utah to visit his sisters who had married into Polynesian families. In 2008, Fullmer said he moved to the island permanently and started his own construction company, “Fullmer Brothers Construction.” Eventually, he said he decided to open up a restaurant as well. “I grew up cooking. I have a big family, 12 brothers and sisters. So I was cooking a lot with my mom,” said Fullmer. “I’ve always loved cooking. As a single dad with three kids, I was always doing the cooking for them. I woke up one day and said ‘I think I’d like to start a restaurant’ and that’s what we did.” In 2010, Fullmer converted the old Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Hau‘ula to North Shore Tacos, and said he did many of the renovations himself, including a stonework mosaic of the Hawaiian Islands on the front desk. As co-owner, he runs the Hau‘ula location, as well as its expansion, a food truck at Shark’s Cove, with his girlfriend Elen Atlas from Brazil. “We make everything very fresh and we make some of the best fish tacos in Hawaii,” said Fullmer. Its fish tacos have been named #1 by Sunset Magazine according to the North Shore Tacos website. “Our fish is definitely very fresh. We get our fish from a local fisherman,” said Silvia De Oliveira, a manager at North Shore Tacos and BYU-Hawaii alumna from Brazil. Oliveira said all the fish they serve comes from Ken’s Fresh Fish in Hau‘ula. “Everything is home-cooked. We make everything from scratch. Our salsas are from scratch, our beans are from scratch, rice, meat—everything is from scratch. That sets a nice high bar.” Ryan Hagen, North Shore Tacos cashier from California, said, “I don’t think that there’s any other fish taco that competes.” Additionally, the restaurant is known for its sweet pork quesadillas, pineapple salsa and nachos, caramel coconut flan, and a pineapple tiki drink. Hagen, slated to return to BYU-Hawaii in the Fall Semester to continue studying business management as a sophomore, said, “Joey is a great, great boss. He’s hilarious. He’s really cool. He doesn’t really micromanage, which I like. He lets the managers run the roost. My job is nothing fancy,” Hagen continued. “I’m a cashier. I don’t cook. I do cold side: the lettuce, the pico de gallo, the sauce. But I love the people here. It’s like a big family. We all watch out for each other. When someone gets sick, we take care of each other.”

The Pumpkin Festival at Aloun Farms is helping islanders bring a piece of fall home with its “U-pick” pumpkin patch.“I loved going to the Aloun Farms pumpkin patch,” said Alyssa Troyanek, a junior majoring in international cultural studies from Arizona. “Even though you could see Waikiki and the ocean in the distance, it still felt like fall on the mainland.” Kelsie Gordan, a freshman majoring in biology from Washington, said, “I would definitely recommend going to the pumpkin patch at Aloun Farms. You get to pick your own pumpkin, straight off the vine, which is something I’ve never done before.”“I felt like I was back at home for a second, and now it feels like fall, even though we live on a tropical island,” Gordan continued.Located in Kapolei, the 9th annual Pumpkin Festival will be open to the public the last 3 weekends of October, from 8:30 A.M. to 5 P.M. October 25-26 will be the final days of the Pumpkin Festival. Admission is $3, and pumpkins range from $3-$20, depending on size. Giant pumpkins can also be purchased, and are priced according to weight. Children 2 and under are admitted for free. The farm is cash only, and checks or credit cards will not be accepted.The farm features its pumpkins during the month of October, but Ewa sweet corn, kabocha, string beans, and other local produce can be self-harvested at the festival. The festival also has pony rides, picture booths, tractor pulled hayrides, games, carnival rides, and food stands.The farm is only open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, because weekdays are devoted to student tours. Michael Moefu, Aloun Farms Pumpkin Festival even coordinator, said in an interview with the Honolulu Magazine, “They (students) learn a little bit more about agriculture, not just pumpkins. Corn, sunflowers, beans and over a dozen different varieties of pumpkins.” This is the 10th year that Aloun Farms has hosted educational student tours, and they host an average of 15,000 students each year. Student tours run Tuesdays through Fridays.Aloun Farms is located at 91-1440 Farrington Highway, Kapolei, HI 96707. For more information, visit their website at alounfarms.com.

Paper cranes filled the Brigham Young University-Hawaii campus as part of a marketing campaign for the Ke Alaka’i. The cranes were scattered throughout campus on Friday, September 26th for students to collect.“We knew we wanted to do something that would draw attention to the magazine, but be mutually beneficial at the same time. That’s when we thought of the cranes. At first, we were only going to make a couple hundred, but 1000 just had a ring to it,” said Austin Meldrum, a senior majoring in international cultural studies from Colorado and creator of the 1000 Cranes Movement at BYUH explained.When opened, each crane featured a short biography of one of five leaders.Meldrum explained, “These fliers are one of five people. We chose people who inspired us in our own lives, common figures, people from different cultures, races, genders, different walks of life, that are pretty recognizable and people we can all learn a lesson from.”The five people featured were Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Frida Kahlo, Bob Marley, and Erik Weihenmayer.“The students open the crane, read a short message, and hopefully leave inspired,” Meldrum continued. “They each have a story to tell. They each overcame a struggle.”Meldrum and Astle decided on paper cranes because in many cultures, cranes are symbolic of hope and wishes.“I feel like this project will spark people to think more creatively,” James Astle, co-founder of the 1000 Cranes Movement, added, “It’s a simple thing, but if the students take a second to open one little crane and read the message, it could change their outlook on the day. The project was meant to inspire people, and that’s hopefully what it did.”Astle continued, “The project was a chance to give the Ke Alaka’i a pair of their very own wings so they could lift the students higher than they’ve ever been. Although it may have been a shock, it is the start of a new campaign for marketing.”For a behind the scenes look on the project, watch the video at the Ke Alakai news YouTube channel.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkVUcXMLk8g&list=UUDE6VSNHRODNyU-Snpj711w