The Thunderword has a Podcast!
Welcome back from break Thunderbirds! With the new quarter here, we have a new way for you to get your information – on the go.
Over the break two of our very own Thunderword student editors, Cam Lyons and Mavrie Durham, with the help of Faculty Advisor Kara Stuart, started a podcast, aptly named “the ThunderPod.”
New Year’s traditions and superstitions
Did you know that there are at least 24 known New Year’s traditions from around the world, and all of them have some different meaning or superstition attached to them?
The most popular tradition in the United States that millions gather to watch, is the annual ball drop in Times Square. According to Times Square, this tradition started in 1907 when the first New Year’s Eve ball, made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds.
A million-dollar masterpiece by Ai-Da the Robot
In a fantastic moment for technology and art, Ai-Da, the world’s first lifelike robot artist, sold a painting for over $1 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
The artwork, “A.I. God,” is a portrait of British mathematician Alan Turing, known for his important work in computer science and breaking codes during World War II.
Wellness Center is here for your new year’s resolutions
The Highline College Wellness Center, a hidden resource available on the first floor in the biology building (Building 26), offers a wonderful space for exercise, to de-stress, and connect with other members of the community.
The Wellness Center offers a wide variety of equipment and hours, providing the Highline College community with a dedicated space to improve cardiovascular health, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, and flexibility.
Campus
Welcome back from break Thunderbirds! With the new quarter here, we have a new way for you to get your information – on the go.
Over the break two of our very own Thunderword student editors, Cam Lyons and Mavrie Durham, with the help of Faculty Advisor Kara Stuart, started a podcast, aptly named “the ThunderPod.”
The Highline College Wellness Center, a hidden resource available on the first floor in the biology building (Building 26), offers a wonderful space for exercise, to de-stress, and connect with other members of the community.
The Wellness Center offers a wide variety of equipment and hours, providing the Highline College community with a dedicated space to improve cardiovascular health, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, and flexibility.
As we wrap up Highline’s fall quarter of 2024, the Thunderword would like to take a few steps back to highlight the memories made, events attended, and wonderful community the campus has fostered.
As fall brought in its crisp breeze and cooler temperatures, Highline College brought along some special events and info-packed activities.
With the end of the 2024 fall quarter, the Thunderword staff wishes to say happy holidays until next quarter!
Finals week will take place beginning Tuesday, Dec. 10, with grades available the next Wednesday, Dec. 18. The winter quarter will begin on Jan. 6.
Highline held a Holiday Market, in the Student Union, filled with over two dozen independent vendors offering a variety of unique merchandise including stationary, perfect little handmade gifts, and distinct art.
One of the purposes/goals of the Holiday Market, held Dec. 2, was to introduce attendees to different Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owned shops.
Community
Did you know that there are at least 24 known New Year’s traditions from around the world, and all of them have some different meaning or superstition attached to them?
The most popular tradition in the United States that millions gather to watch, is the annual ball drop in Times Square. According to Times Square, this tradition started in 1907 when the first New Year’s Eve ball, made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds.
Washington State, known for its dreary, gray weather and depressing atmosphere, ranks highest in adults, 18 years of age and older, who feel symptoms of depression, anxiety, loneliness, or just feeling down.
Although, Washington is at the tops in these statistics, it may surprise readers that the states inhabitants don’t score that much higher than the rest of the country when it comes to depression amongst adults and suicide rates.
As fall comes to an end and we enter the winter season, we can see the shift in temperature dropping.
With this in mind it’s essential to know how to properly take care of your body to help protect your immune system so it can be healthy during these chilly months.
Most of the Puget Sound region was under a dense fog advisory from the National Weather Service. Bellevue, Bremerton, Everett, Seattle, Tacoma, and the Hood Canal region are all included in the advisory.
The moist air cools until its humidity reaches 100% and fog occurs when the cool air combines with the warm, humid air over the water.
Sports
Despite the Seahawks season coming to an end with no playoff appearance, this season has been nothing short of exciting for the young team. The Seahawks ended their season with a 10-7 record, and ended up second in the NFC West division.
With a new head coach, Mike Macdonald, a young team, and a challenging schedule, the Seahawks have pushed through this season with grit. With the highs and lows this season brought, the playoff hunt has been exhilarating.
A cold winter break didn’t stop Highline’s women’s basketball team from continuing their grind on the courts. Over the break, the Thunderbirds participated in four matchups – a highlight was playing in the SWOCC Crossover in Coos Bay, Ore.
These ladies had some hard matchups over the break, and sadly did not win any of their matchups. However, they continue to show grit in their playing style.
Highline women’s basketball kicked off their 2024-25 season in the middle of November. The Thunderbirds got off to a strong start with a victory, but have struggled since.
Their first official game this season had them take on Shoreline Community College, where they picked up a 58-54 win.
In the Thunderbirds men’s basketball season home debut, they faced a thrilling matchup against Shoreline Community College and walked away with a comeback win at the Thunderdome.
Highline had a slow start to the offense, closely trailing behind Shoreline to send the Thunderbirds to the locker room at halftime with a score of 31-33.
Arts
I know everyone says to not judge a book by its cover, but “The Roommate” by Rosie Danan is not a book that I would usually pick up, with its pink, frilly, heart-covered cover.
I still have no clue what provoked me to buy this book, I was even low on money at the time and put back a much different book that I believed I would have preferred.
This book embodies a Hallmark™ movie and I have grown to love that about it the more I read it. Yes, I’ve read it more than once – I’m pretty sure I’m re-reading it for the third time.
Most people have heard of Gundam at least once. It’s a powerhouse that rivals franchises like Star Wars and Halo in terms of popularity. After all, you can’t say it hasn’t had an effect when size accurate statues exist in not just Japan, but China as well. Gundam is a long running series with a legacy that seems intimidating, but it’s surprisingly easy to get into.
Created by screenwriter and novelist Yoshiyuki Tomino in 1979, the first Gundam series, “Mobile Suit Gundam”, is a tragic war drama set far in the future known as the Universal Century.
With a nearly untouched IP and a contested author behind the brand, HBO has their work cut out for them with their attempt at a new Harry Potter TV series.
The producers will have to balance the consumer demand for a blacklisting of all things J.K. Rowling and the author’s rights of creative control.
While double features are examined in our ‘Movie Duel!’ series, this selection took a turn once a far more strange phenomenon reared its festive head.
“Hometown Holiday” and “Christmas in the City” are both Hallmark Christmas movies available on Netflix, and their similarities become more and more stark until you realize something even stranger is happening.
Science & Technology
In a fantastic moment for technology and art, Ai-Da, the world’s first lifelike robot artist, sold a painting for over $1 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
The artwork, “A.I. God,” is a portrait of British mathematician Alan Turing, known for his important work in computer science and breaking codes during World War II.
The healthcare system in many countries, particularly in the United States, is often criticized for being inefficient, expensive, and inaccessible. One of the primary reasons for the shortcomings of healthcare is the rising cost of medical services and treatments.
Healthcare in the U.S. is notoriously expensive, with prices for basic services like doctor visits, hospital stays, and medications far exceeding those in other developed nations.
Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic, gained control of his body for the first time in January 2024 after undergoing a surgical implantation of “The Link”, a microchip, created by Elon Musk’s Neuralink Corp.
Now, as the technology degrades inside Arbaugh’s head, experts worry about decreased performance as the technology becomes rapidly outdated.
News Briefs
Highline’s TRiO program is hosting their “De-stress and Reconnection” event today (Dec. 5) from noon to 2 p.m. in the TRiO center on the first floor of Building 6.
Game tables, art stations, and lunch will be provided.
Opinion
When I was 11 years old, myself, my closest cousin, our grandmother, and her mother all lined up outside Martha Berry Square Mall at 3:30 a.m. to catch the Justice 75% off sale the company was holding. The entire store, whole outfits, and all the sequins we could dream of for a few dollars apiece.
This year, I stayed in. I didn’t go shopping, avoided any plazas, and kept my wallet closed. Cyber Monday came and went, and yet not a dollar was spent. That’s because the Black Friday I remember does not exist anymore.
The long-fought war between dog and cat lovers is still ongoing. Dog people claim dogs as “man’s best friend”, while cat lovers claim loving cats requires a certain appreciation for individual autonomy. While these paradigms are a couple ways to look at the issue, there is also the extroverted dog versus introverted cat debate. Regardless, all animal lovers can agree that animals improve our lives.
According to Forbes, 66% of households own pets, and of those 66%, 46.5 million households have cats. While dogs beat them out for the majority, 46.5 million is no small number.