Respect for lawyers and other oddball predictions for 2014

Brooklyn Law School Dean Nick Allard thinks people in 2014 will suddenly stop hating lawyers and treat them like heroes.
Yeah, right.
In a story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Allard predicted that 2014 will be a “rebound year for law schools, their students and the profession.”
Here are two of his predictions for the New Year:

1. Ten years from now, people will look back at 2014 and say it marked the start of the new world of law: a renaissance where the respect and reputation of lawyers and law schools began to rise by measurable benchmarks.
2. Significantly, in 2014 the ABA will lead the way to restoring the national reputation of law as an honorable, noble profession. For example, next year the ABA will begin a national two-year conversation around its activities to celebrate the upcoming 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta. Even children will learn that we are a nation of laws, and many will be able to answer the trivia question: “Who signed the Magna Carta on a grassy field in Runnymede in 1215?” Answer: “No one – it was ‘sealed’ by King John.”

2014 food trends 

The National Restaurant Association issued its forecast for what will be hot in 2014.
For starters, it says ethnic-inspired breakfast items (e.g. Asian-flavored syrups, chorizo scrambled eggs, coconut milk pancakes) and traditional ethnic breakfast items (e.g. huevos rancheros, shakshuka, ashta) will be big in the New Year.
Leading the top trends for restaurants are local-sourced meats and seafood, locally grown produce and hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens).
The top ethnic cuisines and flavors of 2014 will be Peruvian, Korean and Southeast Asian (e.g. Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian).
Trends showing big declines include Greek yogurt, sweet-potato fries and organic coffee, the restaurant group said.
Restaurant consultant group Baum + Whiteman LLC expects Hipster Asian, Jewish Fusion, Filipino dishes, Mexican sandwiches and Mideast cooking “beyond Spain and Greece” to emerge in the New Year.
Better-for-you dining, including the acceleration of the Paleo diet, will continue to grow, the consultants say. The Paleo diet focuses on food from the Stone Age, such as meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits and nuts.
Technomic, a food-service research and consulting firm, predicts that the rising cost of beef will mean that chicken will be big again in 2014, but so will pork. Restaurants will be “pushing the parameters of proteins” next year, Technomic said. Pork is “the latest protein star … appearing in regional barbecue items, in Hispanic and other ethnic fare, in charcuterie and as pulled-pork sandwiches. Also getting time in the spotlight are lamb and game meats, from duck to bison.”

Hot music acts 

Music discovery app Shazam issued its list of acts expected to have break-through years in 2014.

The Shazam team selected the artists by starting with qualitative industry tastemaker selections and then ranked them using quantitative data from Shazam queries of those artists.
The performers expected to make headlines in 2014 are:

• Action Bronson – Queens native Bronson lists early influences as Wu-Tang Clan. He launched his first album 2011 but gained huge Shazam tags in 2013 after releasing several hotly tipped mix tapes. 
• August Alsina – August’s single “I Luv This Shit” has been one of the most Shazamed rap tracks of 2013 and his mix tape tracks are also gaining traction with hip-hop heads. 
• Banks – Born Jillian Banks, she started writing music as a teenager in suburban LA and released an acclaimed EP in 2013. 
• Jhene Aiko – Collaborations with Drake and Big Sean thrust her into the public eye in 2013. Now, after releasing a mix tape, “Sail Out,” Aiko looks set for big things. 
• Kid Ink – XXL Magazine listed Kid Ink among artists like Danny Brown and Macklemore in its 2012 Freshman Class feature. Signed with RCA/Epic, Kid Ink is set to release his first album under a major label this year. 
• Lucy Hale – Best known for her role as Aria Montgomery on the ABC Family series, “Pretty Little Liars,” Hale is set to be the next country star. 
• Martin Garrix – Dutch DJ best known for his track, “Animals,” Garrix is the youngest person ever to top the Beatport charts. (Pictured above.)
• Rich Homie Quan – Georgia native and artist for the Island Jam label, Quan has been named by the New York Times as one of “Atlanta’s rising generation of rappers … who deliver lines with melody and heart, like singers on the verge of a breakdown.” 
• Sam Smith – London-born Smith contributed the soaring vocals on Disclosure’s 2013 hit, “Latch” and Naughty Boy’s “La La La.” He prefers the raw soul style in the vein of his favorite artists, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Aretha Franklin. 
• Vance Joy – Originally from Melbourne, Vance Joy has already achieved success in his native Australia with his single, “Riptide,” and is set to break globally this year. 

Music industry executives at the 10th annual Advertising Week conference in New York City were asked to make predictions about notable trends in 2014, Billboard reported.
“Music sponsorships in North America will pay artists and record labels more than Pandora, Spotify and YouTube combined,” Marcie Allen, founder/president, MAC Presents, said. MAC Presents creates sponsorship programs among top artists, fashion labels and brands.

Political predictions 

Republican political consultant Karl Rove made his annual predictions. Chief among them is fallout from President Barack Obama’s problem-plagued Affordable Care Act rollout.
Here are some specifics:
Mr. Obama’s Gallup disapproval rating will end higher than this week’s 53%.
Republicans will keep the House with a modest pickup of 4-6 seats.
The GOP will most likely end up with 50 or 51 Senate seats.
Tens of millions more Americans will lose their coverage and find that new ObamaCare plans have higher premiums, larger deductibles and fewer doctors. Enrollment numbers will be smaller than projected and budget outlays will be higher. The White House will blame insurers and Republicans for the law’s continuing failures. At year’s end, Kathleen Sebelius will still be HHS Secretary. Support for ObamaCare will drop below 30%, causing congressional Democrats to clamber for major changes and delays. The administration will resist most such ideas, except lifting the individual mandate penalty for 2014.
Outside of politics: “Duck Dynasty” will set another cable viewership record. Miley Cyrus will fade as a cultural phenomenon. Sandra Bullock will win an Oscar for “Gravity.” Peyton Manning will win a fifth MVP award and the Seattle Seahawks their first Lombardi Trophy.

Photos: 2014 art from ChristmasStockImages.com; Mexican breakfast photo by Ricardo (rvacapinta on Flickr); Dutch DJ Martin Garrix (photo Jasper K from Wikimedia Commons).