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Whether you’re a hardworking and malnourished academic or a hungry beach bum enrolled in classes, BYU-Hawaii students can have a hard time eating cheap and healthy foods. The Ke Alaka’I has tips to help you make quick and healthy meals with the limited funds of a college student. Rick Bailey, a senior from California studying business, said, “I served in El Salvador, and in most of the wards there was no member list for them to sign up to feed us. We had a lady that we paid to make us lunch, then we would eat dinner at home or go out and get local food.”Easy meals consist of easy things to cook. With a combination of rice, chicken and your choice of vegetables and spices you can have a meal that you enjoy eating, and will help you make it through your day energetically.Ingredients & descriptions:Rice, preferably brown rice, which is healthier and carries more nutrients than bleached and processed white rice, is a gluten free source of carbohydrates. Rice can be cooked in large amounts and kept in the fridge to be used at any time. Save yourself more time by cooking rice in the microwave. Put as much rice as you want into a bowl, and fill it with enough water to cover your first knuckle on your pointer finger. Microwave for half the amount of time it would normally boil (white rice: 10 minutes; brown rice: 15-20), and if needed add more water and microwave in increments of two minutes.Extra virgin olive oil is filled with vitamins and antioxidants. It is considered by nutritionists to be a healthy source of fat for your diet. Use extra virgin olive oil when cooking for added healthy value. Only a small amount of oil is needed to fry chicken. A bottle will usually last a long time if used in the correct amounts.Garlic is healthy for your immune system, and both adds and enhances flavor in the dish. Before you fry your chicken in olive oil, allow chopped garlic to cook for a couple of minutes to release the flavor.Chicken is a great source of protein. It also carries little fat, if you cut it off, and cooks quickly, making this a great choice for many dishes. Chicken is also easily flavored. Use any herbs you want to customize your flavor. Mixes, such as fajita, grill or others, tend to work well. Use a liberal amount of seasoning.Variety of vegetables can add color and flavor to a dish. Adding bell peppers and onions can make your dish savory, or sweet depending on how long you allow them to cook. For a more savory flavor, add vegetables in last. For a sweeter flavor, allow the vegetables to caramelize by frying them over a medium-low heat with the chicken for a while. After your chicken and vegetables are fully cooked, throw them on a plate and enjoy.This recipe is quick and easy for college students, and is healthy. As Romy Lakip, a senior from Georgia studying business, said, “If you put crap into your car, it won’t run well. It’s the same with our bodies, you need to fuel it with good fuel, and eating healthy is what makes it run well.”Students should keep health in mind when they eat. Even Elder Jorg Klebingat said in LDS General Conference this October, “Feeding the spirit while neglecting the body, which is a temple, usually leads to spiritual dissonance and lowered self-esteem.” He continued his address to members of the Church with a quote from Elder Russell M. Nelson, “We should ‘regard our body as a temple of our very own,’ and that we should ‘control our diet and exercise for physical fitness.’“Hamoni Akau, a freshman from Tonga studying computer science, agreed with Elder Klebingat and Nelson and said, “My mission president’s wife always encouraged us to eat five fruits or vegetables a day.”NOTE: While we only used bell peppers and onions, virtually any vegetable can be used. Carrots and mushrooms could add more variety of flavors. Experiment to find out what you prefer. You also do not need to use an entire pepper, less than one section will typically suffice, and a carrot can be chopped up and saved for later. Save more money by buying one of each color of bell pepper and use only one section for each meal - stretching their for up to four different meals.

29-year-old Michael Reed urinated on and drove his car into a statue of the Ten Commandments in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Oct. 24, saying the devil himself instigated the act. Reed was taken to a mental health facility after walking into a federal building and making derogatory terms about President Obama and admitting to damaging the statue, the U.S. Secret Service told Associated Press. Oklahoma Governor, Mary Fallin called the destruction an “appalling” act and other authorities are furious.Republican State Representative, Mike Ritze and his family spent nearly $10,000 having the, now destroyed, Ten Commandments monument erected, said Associated Press, “We consider this an act of violence against the state of Oklahoma. We are obviously shocked and dismayed, but we’re not discouraged,” said Ritze, vowing to have the monument rebuilt.Rebuilding the statue might be hard to do though, according to Hannah Seurynck, a freshman from Idaho. Seurnyck said, “I read a similar story about a statue of the Ten Commandments in Idaho. People wanted to take it down.” Citizens felt the Ten Commandments statue was too religious for a government monument and demanded it be taken down, continued Seurnyck.Although some non-Christian citizens believe giving preference to Christian monuments is unfair and encroaching on the rights of freedom of religion, Seurnyck believes the monument “should be left up, though, because taking it down is also infringing on the rights of the people who put it up.” McKenna Hawkins, a freshman from Colorado, said, “I think this country was based on Christianity; I think it is our founding religion. People may disagree with me, but I think we founded this country off of the belief in God and I think it’s perfectly fine to have a monument of the Ten Commandments.” Oklahoma City’s Ten Commandments statue was under the same such attack as the Idaho monument Seurnyck described. The Oklahoma monument was erected in 2012, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma (ACLU) has been suing to have it removed. The group claims the monument violates the state’s constitution, and could be seen as a state endorsement of religion, said Associated Press. In the lawsuit that followed last month, an Oklahoma judge ruled the monument did not violate the Oklahoma constitution. However, ACLU attorneys filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court in another effort to get the Ten Commandments monument taken down, but Reed beat them to it.The Ten Commandments statue and other controversial, Christian religious monuments have led religious parties to seek their own monuments on government grounds. Requests have been made by a Hindu leader in Nevada and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster for their own monuments. One group, earlier this year, unveiled designs for a 7-foot-tall statue of Satan, said Associated Press, probably something of a victory for Reed, a self-described “Satanist.” While authorities have not ruled out Satan’s influence, Reed is reportedly still in the care of a mental health facility. “Maybe [Reed] didn’t take his medication, or maybe he had never been diagnosed or treated. Crashing his car might just be a snippet of a bigger picture, so we shouldn’t be quick to judge,” said Benjamin Thomas, a senior from Oregon majoring in graphic design.

On a sunny Friday afternoon in the Little Circle, Talo Siva, a cadet in the BYU-Hawaii ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corp), was surrounded by friends and family as he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Siva, a recent graduate of BYU-Hawaii from American Samoa, smiled as he fought back emotions. “I made it. I did it. It was a tough journey, a lot of stress, but I made it. Thank you all for giving up your lunch to come. Thank you so much for coming,” Siva said.The BYUH ROTC is a college-based program for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. As a part of ROTC, students may receive merit-based scholarships, covering all or part of college tuition in exchange for obligatory military service. At BYUH, ROTC has a physical training portion held here on campus with a classroom section held weekly at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus in Honolulu. Siva said it was difficult to balance school, work and attend class in Manoa. “I didn’t have a car, but luckily the school helped us with cars. Sometimes though we couldn’t get cars and we had to take the bus. That was rough,” said Siva.Tanner Farley, a junior studying music from Utah, is the detachment leader here at BYUH. Farley said there are currently nine students in the program. “ROTC is a really good option for financial support, career opportunities, and leadership. It offers a very secure career path, and it’s a great way to kickstart a career. The main thing we want people to know is that it’s a good opportunity and it’s available.”Ni Shipeng, a sophomore studying ICS from China, said, “I’ve never considered going into the military, but I think that it’s a great way to teach you discipline and responsibility. I think you can only really learn these things in the military or serving a mission.”Siva said he signed up after friends who went through the program encouraged him to join ROTC. “It’s a great program for those who are undecided. My advice is to try it out. If it’s yours, go for it,” said Siva.Siva will be entering the Army Reserves in his native American Samoa and will participate in monthly reserve exercises while hoping to teach elementary education.Major John Carson, the ranking officer at the commission ceremony, said of Siva, “If I had one word to describe Siva, it would be perseverance. To come from American Samoa, fulfill his responsibilities, drive from the North Shore every week, and achieve his goals is truly remarkable.”

Eric Rush, a former New Zealand All Blacks rugby player, led a clinic at BYU-Hawaii on the morning of Oct. 22, during Coach William Mahoni’s touch rugby class. Rush taught students, along with Laie Parkside players, drills done in All Blacks training sessions and encouraged everybody to participate despite their differing skills and abilities. Rush commented on his rigorous coaching style by saying if young people want to some day be as good as an All Blacks player, they better train like one. Young rugby players may think they don’t have to work as hard because more often then not, they already have natural talents. Rush warned against depending solely on talent because one day, everyone is going to be the same size as you and you’ll have nothing to differentiate yourself. He said the most important part of being a sevens rugby player is fitness. “You can run half speed in practice, and if that’s the only level you practice at, you will run half speed during every game setting.” According to Rush, the team that can physically outlast the other in a sevens rugby game, wins. A sevens rugby game is less of an impact game than fifteens or tens because it’s spread out across the field. There is room to make risky runs and side step around potential tackles. “It’s less about the hard flesh beating hits than it is about being the player who can run 70 meters down the field, then run 80 back, and 100 to score,” he said.After the class, students thronged around and thanked Rush for his willingness to come to BYUH and share his knowledge. Rush replied by saying you can have many coaches over your whole lifetime, some good, some not so good, but if you take one gem from each of them, you’ll end up with a lot of treasure. Siriboto Rareba, a new student this semester majoring in exercise and sports science, said, “There is something about the game I love. Just the concept of putting everything on the line, whether it be my physical health, spiritual wellness, and emotional well being in and out of every practice and game, then reaping the rewards of being so vulnerable.”The esteemed All Blacks player also made himself available later in the evening to talk story at the Polynesian Cultural Center. At the PCC event, he spoke about his early failures in his rugby career. Rush said he always seemed to be just good enough for trials, but never for the final team picks. He recalled his father’s words after repeatedly not making the league teams: “Don’t worry son. That’s just one man’s opinion. The next coach might like you.” “Unfortunately,” Rush said, “they all had the same opinion those days.” But he then went on to be one of the most dynamic sevens rugby players for the All Blacks and led the New Zealand International sevens team to win six World Sevens series. The Laie Parkside men’s and women’s teams train on the Laie Elementary field Mondays through Wednesdays from 4:30 to 5:45 in the evening. For those interested in playing in a tournament in December, early morning practice will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 a.m. on the TVA fields. In the words of Eric Rush, “train until you run yourself into the ground.”

Original songs produced by the BYU-Hawaii Student Music Association will be featured at a free concert in the McKay Auditorium on Saturday, Nov. 29. Braden Wiscombe, a sophomore from California studying business administration, is president of the Music Club and said a lot of work has been put into the album. Wiscombe said, “We start off with finding musicians, people who are ready, and then doing auditions. After that we take every single musician and do a rough take of their song that only takes around 30 minutes. I take it home and adjust the levels so the audio is listenable. Then we add in all the extra instruments and harmonies. Finally we re-record the main instrument and vocals. Once all that’s done, I take it and mix each part and master the song so that it sounds good on an iPhone, computer or car radio. Each song takes a couple of hours each depending on coordinating schedules and how fast people can record.” Kalima Watson, a junior studying business management from Honolulu, is one of the students performing an original song on the album. “I think the coolest thing about it is all the people recording songs are students. I’m just a random guy from Honolulu recording a song. I’ve never recorded anything before. I’ve always played in venues and stuff but never sat down in front of a mic so I thought it’d be a good opportunity,” said Watson. Wiscombe said the album will feature a variety of music. “There’s some that are slow and laid back while others are pure instrumental and heavy guitar. We have country songs and uke songs too. It should be a full-sounding album with a bit of variety,” said Wiscombe. Dr. David Kammerer, associate professor of Music and the faculty advisor for the Music Club, said recording songs is a experience for aspiring musicians. “It’s a real world experience we have been lacking...I’m happy to see that through the club avenue students are taking advantage of the opportunity. We also have some new management in the Media Production Center who are more open to making the use of these facilities available to students for their projects,” said Kammerer. The physical album will only be available at FoodFest, according to Wiscombe. “People can only buy tickets there because of the school’s policies on clubs and fundraising. The albums will be distributed at the concert and everyone who is a member of the club will receive a free copy of the album. We’re trying to keep it really cheap for the general public so we hope to sell it for around $3.” Wiscombe said his passion for the project comes from wanting to give students the opportunity to record. “I think it’s something that is just naturally a good idea because there are a lot of people who are talented with writing music. To give someone the opportunity to record it is a great thing because if you go to a professional studio, it’s going to be extremely expensive. We thought if we could provide something for the students to get their foot in the door of trying this out that it would be really cool for them. I think anybody who hears about it gets interested because it’s something new.” The album’s quality is solid, said Wiscombe. “Lots of time you’ll walk around campus and see people without realizing they’re so musically talented. I hope that as people find out more about this album that the interest in being part of future projects will increase so we can get more variety. When we have students from all around the world, we definitely get some cool stuff going on,” he said.

Actress, TV personality, and animal activist, Betty White made her TV debut in 1939 and did radio shows in the 1940s. Working in Hollywood in the 1950s, she became one of the few women to have creative control behind the camera, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Winner of six Emmy Awards, this golden girl continues her acting career at age 92, currently performing as a main character in the sitcom, “Hot in Cleveland.” White continues to be active in the environmental community working with the Los Angeles Zoo commission, the African Wildlife Foundation, and the American Humane Association, according to the foundations’ websites. White was recently deemed an honorary forest ranger in 2010, according to the Huffington Post.The deep-voiced crooner who gave us the song “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Baby,” grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., and was immediately immersed in the music business. White organized other musicians into the Love Unlimited Orchestra, and a girl group called Love Unlimited, according to Biography.com. He not only performed, but also composed and directed, original works. White was known as “the Walrus of Love,” a nickname that encompassed his size, deep voice, and reputation as one of R&B’s most romantic singers. Barry White died in 2003 from a stroke as he awaited a kidney transplant, having suffered from high blood pressure for years. Born to two rocket scientists, this comedic actor started performing in high school, and joined an acting troupe called the Actor’s Gang, whose motto was “dare to be stupid.” Since then, Black has never stopped acting, doing small roles until Black’s big break in 2000, when the scruffy man played a music-obsessed store clerk in “High Fidelity.” Black has since earned fame and fortune voicing the main character in the movies “Kung Fu Panda” and playing the lead role in “School of Rock,” where Black showcased his trademark manic energy. This rock and roll husband and wife duo became the indie rock band, The White Stripes. Guitarist Jack Gillis married drummer Meg White, and took her last name to become Jack White. The two kept the nature of their relationship a secret for a while, letting people assume they were siblings. The reason for this, according to Rolling Stones, was to keep the public’s focus on the music and not the relationship. The White Stripes disbanded after its final concert in 2007 but came together one last time in 2009 to perform on the final ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’ show, according to RollingStone. Since then, Meg White has slipped out of the public scene, while Jack White continues to produce music, his most recent work being the album “Lazaretto,” which was released June 14, 2014. Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, was best friends with James Potter, and was estranged from his pureblood fanatic family when he was sorted into Gryffindor. Black was wrongfully put into Azkaban, the wizard prison, but managed to escape because of Black’s hidden animal-changing ability. Black escaped by transforming into a large black dog. Black provided a warm, guiding light to the orphaned Harry Potter and came to the rescue when Harry broke into the Ministry of Magic. Black sacrificed himself to save his godson Potter. Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledor said, “Sirius was a brave, clever, and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger.”

Disney is adding a Polynesian princess, “Moana,” to its roster of princesses in 2016, according to Disney’s official blog. The full-length animated film will focus on Moana, “a spirited teenager on an impossible mission to fulfill her ancestors’ quest.”The movie is set in the ancient South Pacific world of “Oceania.” The princess teams up with the demigod, Maui, to “traverse the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous sea creatures, breathtaking underworlds and ancient folklore,” according to Disney’s blog.“I like that by Disney having a Polynesian princess brings culture diversity,” said Jansen Tesoro from Nevada, a senior in elementary education. Tesoro continued, “Plus I think an island princess will be the prettiest of all Disney princesses.”In the official announcement by filmmaker John Musker, he said, “Moana is indomitable, passionate and a dreamer with a unique connection to the ocean itself. She’s the kind of character we all root for, and we can’t wait to introduce her to audiences.”Musker and Ron Clements are filmmakers creating “Moana” and are the same team behind “The Little Mermaid,” “The Princess And The Frog,” and “Aladdin.” Musker and Clements said they made several trips to Hawaii when planning the film, seeking insight into how growing up surrounded by an ocean affects a person’s point of view.Musker and Clements have done their research, according to BYU-Hawaii student Ezra Peterika and wife, Sarah Peterika. Moana is a very popular name in Hawaii, and the Peterikas named their daughter Elena Tausala o le Moana, meaning princess of the ocean in Samoan. “Elena will be so excited to know there is a Disney princess who shares her name!” The Peterikas hope this new movie will stay true to Hawaiian culture and have no doubt Disney will deliver. Upon hearing about the new Polynesian princess, Moana, BYUH Alumni Gwyenne Cashen said, “This is the best news ever [and] 2016 can’t come soon enough.”

The original stage adaptation of Blaine M. Yorganson’s book, “One Tattered Angel,” is scheduled to make its on-stage debut Nov. 7-9 at the McKay Auditorium. “This is a world premiere play in that the author of the book gave special permission for the play to be written and produced here,” said Cameron Abaroa, the leading man in the play and a senior in IDS from Arizona. “This is a great testament to the Theatre Arts program here and to Dr. Ferre especially,” said Abaroa. The book was adapted by Dr. Craig Ferre, professor of Theatre and Speech at BYUH, and is based on the true story of Yorgason’s adopted daughter. Ferre said, “About three years ago during the summer my wife gave me a copy of it to read. After having read it, I thought, ‘Geez, this could make a great play.’ It took me about a year to get in touch with Brother Yorgason to get his permission to even attempt it. It took another year after I sent in my adaptation to say that it’s okay.”Yorgason is an LDS Church member and his book reflects LDS themes, according to Ferre. “I can count on my hand the number of plays that I’ve done during my time here that are church-related. They talk about giving blessings to the child, praying, and some of the occurrences that we as members would believe in - like interacting with deity,” Ferre said. Ferre hopes the play will resonate with students due to its gospel-centered message. “I actually did a play some years ago called ‘Burdens of Earth’ which was about Joseph Smith in Carthage Jail. Yet it really wasn’t well attended. So I’m hoping students will come and be uplifted. It’s an incredible story,” he said. Valorie Lafaele, a sophomore from Idaho studying musical theatre, said it is an amazing opportunity for the school to premiere such a play. “We’re laying out the groundwork for what it’s going to be in the future.” Lafaele also said she feels the community will better relate to this play even if they are not fans of theatre. “It’s an LDS-based play so there’s a lot of people that will understand it more other than ‘Lady Windemere’s Fan’. I can understand why people couldn’t understand it as well. With this one, it’s close to home for all the LDS members. It’s emotional and serious but uplifting.”Ferre noted the risk in adapting a book to stage because of needing to write lots of dialogue. “I don’t know if it’s going to work as theatre because it’s a book put into a play. That can be dangerous because sometimes books are ‘talky’ and this play can be a little ‘talky.’ I don’t know if there’s enough action or whether the audience will get tired.”Ferre said he has no plans to publish the play after its debut. “At this point, we’re just going to do it here,” he said. “That’s all I’ve been interested in because I wanted to do it for our students. I thought it was a great story they should hear and be involved in. When I talked to Blaine, I said I only wanted to do it here for our students and he agreed,” said Dr. Ferre. Tickets will be sold in advance at the Aloha Center Information Desk but may also be purchased at the lobby ticket office 30 minutes before the show at 7:30 p.m.