The Student Newspaper of Highline College

Campus

Let’s fall back a little

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.

See you next year!

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 hosts a BIPOC Holiday Market yule appreciate

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.

Friendsgiving has a home at Highline

The Running Start Club collaborated with the College Success Foundation for a Friendsgiving celebration last week on Highline’s campus. In Building 2 students gathered for good food, fun games, and great memories. 

“I think friendsgiving was a big success and I was so happy to see so many people attend, and be able to meet and connect with new people,” said President Gio Russo from the Running Start Club.

Highline’s TRiO event highlights campus resources for students

In celebration of first generation day, TRiO held an event to reach out to first generation students, giving them a space to hangout and learn about resources that could help them during their first time in college.

First generation day is when you celebrate students, staff, and faculty who are the first in their family to pursue a four year undergraduate degree in the U.S.

The challenges of being a bilingual college student

For bilingual students, college presents a unique set of challenges as they juggle academic demands while navigating the complexities of using multiple languages in both coursework and social life.

College can be tough for anyone, but for bilingual students, the experience can come with some unique challenges. While being fluent in two or more languages is definitely an asset, it doesn’t always make college life easier.

One of the biggest struggles for bilingual students is adjusting to the academic language used in higher education.

College made simple: Effective strategies to manage stress, stay organized, and succeed

Okay, let’s be real, college can be a lot. College can feel like a whirlwind of lectures, deadlines, and social events, but with the right strategies, you can take control of the chaos and actually enjoy the ride. 

Between all the classes, assignments, extracurricular activities, and maybe even a part-time job, it can feel like there’s never enough time in the day. But don’t worry, it is possible to stay on top of everything and actually enjoy college without falling behind. Even a few effective study hacks can really help manage the workload, so here are some tips for you to try.

Community

Winter wellness: Caring for your body

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. 

Fog poses danger to Washington commuters

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.

The sordid and unexpected history of Thanksgiving

Before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and turkey trots dominated Thanksgiving traditions, the holiday holds a dark and gruesome past not very well taught in schools. 

Originating from a harvest once ‘held’ by the Pilgrims in 1621, the original European settlers in the New World celebrated growing relations with Indigenous tribes, but the economic tool covers a sordid tale. 

The rise, the fall, and the rise of the UGG brand

UGGs became popular in the 90s then, after a decades-long hibernation, they found success again in the 2000s. The brand is no stranger to ebbing and flowing through the market; and only recently, UGGs have skyrocketed yet again – proving that the furry boots will always have a place in consumer’s hearts.

The UGG brand was founded in 1978 in Southern California by two young Australian surfers, Brian Smith and Doug Jensen. Only 28 pairs were sold in the company’s first season. But in 1994, when the U.S. winter Olympic team sported them, they garnered a lot of international attention.

Bans on animal testing prevail, but problem still persists

Animal testing, used extensively in the cosmetic industry, is a harsh reality of millions of small animals, and protest efforts have led to legislation banning the sale of such companies that engage in the practice.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an animal rights activist group, held a worldwide campaign after anger over animal testing statistics were released. Across the globe public protests were held, phone calls were made, and thousands of emails sent to legislatures.

Bomb cyclone strikes the greater Seattle area, with atmospheric river to follow

A ‘bomb cyclone’ swept into Western Washington Tuesday night, leaving half a million people without power and killing two individuals.

Puget Sound Energy reports over 400,000 of their customers suffered outages, many of which could potentially last for multiple days. 

The Onion bought Infowars

Satirical newspaper and media company, The Onion, has officially purchased Infowars at bankruptcy auction, following Alex Jones’ recent court loss to victims of Sandy Hook.

Infowars was founded by Alex Jones in 1999, carrying the McCarthyism torch from the ‘Satanic Panic’ through the ‘Obama Birther Movement’, and has had its fingers in nearly every conspiracy theory you’ve heard of in the Western Hemisphere.

10 best Thanksgiving dishes

As Thanksgiving fast approaches, the Thunderword is proud to serve up a steamy selection of the top dishes that you’ll want on your family table to ensure happiness and joy this holiday season.

Follow our findings and these approved recipes will have your family and friends coming back for seconds and thirds.

Counterfeit products used to fund terrorist activity

Companies and private workers suffer from the existence and sale of counterfeit products, and not just because of loss of sales hurting revenue and company reputations. The more alarming fact is that the counterfeit industry has actually been linked to terrorist activity. 

In the 21st century, advanced machinery enables factories overseas to create a 1:1 replica of  products from luxury brands like Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci. This huge counterfeit industry is worth over “$3 trillion dollars annually” as reported by AlpVision.

Math = Fun? With Seattle Universal Math Museum, it is

There are less than 100 math museums in the entire world, and only a handful in America. We, however, have one of them right here in Seattle, called the Seattle Universal Math Museum (SUMM).

What is SUMM? SUMM is located all around Seattle and although it is not currently in a physical location, they host all sorts of events in the area, such as family events, hands-on exhibits, and conversations, all about math.

The creators are extremely passionate about math and want to share that with the community.

This week is Transgender Awareness Week

The LGBTQIA+ Task Force and Q Center invite you to participate in Transgender Awareness Week (Nov. 13-19) and Transgender Day of Remembrance (Nov. 20).

During this time, we honor and uplift the trans community and reaffirm Highline’s commitment to a learning environment rooted in social justice, mutual respect, understanding, civility, and non-violence.

Trump’s dubious ties to Puerto Rico don’t keep him from the White House

With the election closed, analysis begins on voter turnout, demographics, and how we got to where we are. As the results of the election settle, and the reality of Donald Trump being elected to return to the presidency, some recent campaign events can be looked on with a clearer light. 

Perhaps most recently, Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico being an “island of garbage,” became the centerpiece of a national argument about what damage a joke can do, or not do in this case, on the political stage.

Sports

Highline women’s basketball is tested through beginning of season

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.

Highline men’s basketball wins home opener

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.

Men’s soccer season comes to an end

After a successful season by Highline’s men’s soccer team, their season has come to an end in the NWAC playoffs. Facing off in a tight matchup against East Region second seed Walla Walla, this matchup was decided in overtime. 

The Thunderbirds finish the season with an overall record of 14-2-1. They ended the conference with a 13-0-1 record, and remained undefeated at home. 

High school football focus: Decatur's streak stalls

The Decatur Gators’ undefeated winning streak finally met an end against the Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds – losing with a score of 23-21 in the first round of the State Tournament.

The Gators maintained a 10-0 record until now for the 2024-25 season, making it to the State Tournament for the first time in Gator history. 

Women’s volleyball storms into Elite 8

Highline women’s volleyball will continue their stellar season as they advance to the Elite 8 in the NWAC Championship. 

This past weekend at the Thunderdome, the team battled through the regionals bracket, punching their ticket onto the next part of the tournament, earning the second seed for the NWAC West Region.

Highline winter sports: A viewer's guide

As Highline’s fall sports come to an end, athletes start preparing for the winter sports season. Here at Highline, the winter sports feature men’s and women’s basketball. 

Men’s basketball is getting prepared for an exciting season, with high expectations for this year. While the women’s team is small but mighty team has a roster full of potential.

Arts

Harry Potter and the curse of J.K. Rowling

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. 

Movie Duel! Seeing double? This Hallmark movie is really two movies

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.

Lonely Island joins in on the fun for SNL’s 50th season

Fans of Saturday Night Live (SNL) were delighted to see the temporary return of alum Andy Samberg during its landmark 50th season, which covered comedic takes on this year’s presidential election, where Samberg played Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. 

What was originally set as a short stint playing a political figure transformed into an even bigger surprise for fans as the Oct. 5 pre-election show featured a more-than-welcome new song from SNL trio Lonely Island, featuring Samberg with his musical partners and lifelong friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone.

Dungeon Meshi, Oh Dungeon Meshi

What seemed like a simple anime about adventure, and the many ways to prepare food, turned out to be so much more.

For those of you who have never heard of Dungeon Meshi, or Delicious In Dungeon, it’s a manga and anime about a group of curious adventurers traveling through a dangerous dungeon, whilst battling monsters and hunger. At least, that’s the spoiler free version.

“Haunting Adeline” - Romanticizing world problems or shedding light on them?

There has been a frenzy online over the dark romance/horror book series by H.D. Carlton called Cat and Mouse, and for good reason. The books are aged (suggested) 18+ and focus on the main character Adeline Reilly, who in the chapters through her perspective, is referred to as “The Manipulator.”

The books also focus on her stalker who remains unnamed throughout the majority of book one, other than the nickname “Z” and in the chapters that are through his perspective he is referenced to as “The Shadow.”

Science & Technology

The shortcomings of the U.S. healthcare system

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.

Elon Musk owned Neuralink Corp. creates a brain chip to help quadriplegics

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. 

Science seminar: The future of the aerospace industry

Laurinda Bellinger, an engineer working at Blue Origin, a leading aerospace company located in Bellevue, led the students of Highline in a seminar about the predictions of aerospace in the future, including what various industries would appear and continue to grow. 

Bellinger came with informative visuals, comprehensive explanations, and allowed for an extensive Q&A at the end of the lecture.

Are there alien bases under Mexico's Guadalupe Island?

The discussion of UFOs has recently focused on Guadalupe Island, a volcanic island that lies approximately 241 kilometers off the coast of Baja California.

Danny Sheehan, a Harvard lawyer and UFO disclosure advocate, suggests that this remote island might harbor an underwater alien base.

AI's impact on fashion: Revolutionizing the industry

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the fashion industry, bringing significant changes to design, production, and consumer experiences.

By analyzing a large amount of data, AI enables designers to predict trends, create personalized recommendations, and streamline supply chains, leading to more efficient and responsive fashion businesses.

NASA’s Artemis II mission takes a major step toward lunar return in 2025

NASA has achieved a significant milestone in its quest to return humans to the Moon with the recent green light for the Artemis II mission.

Scheduled for launch in 2025, this ambitious mission aims to send astronauts on a historic journey around the Moon, marking a pivotal moment in NASA’s broader Artemis initiative.

Following the success of the Artemis I uncrewed flight test conducted last year, the Artemis II mission is poised to carry a crew of four on a 10-day voyage. The astronauts will orbit the Moon while testing critical systems that are essential for future lunar exploration.

Are zombies coming? The blueprint for them may already be here in Cordycep fungus

Bringing scientific light onto a quiet class of organisms, HBO’s “The Last of Us” warned us of an impending epidemic by the apocalyptic fungus: Cordyceps. Zombies have been explained to us by the media as lingering electrical impulses in the brainstem (The Walking Dead), a virus that takes over and consumes the human body (World War Z), and most recently: mushrooms. 

In the original 2013 action-adventure game, “The Last of Us” creatively avoided using the term zombie, opting for the term infected. It refers to a species of fungus, cordyceps, that infect a hosts’ brain and control them. When idle, infected lie still and allow the cordyceps to grow from them in an attempt to connect to other cordyceps.

News Briefs

Take a breath, we’re almost done - come unwind with TRiO

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.

The 22nd annual Legislative Breakfast has arrived

Highline is hosting the Associated Students of Highline College 2024 Legislative Breakfast in Building 8, inside the Mt. Constance/Olympus room, on Dec. 4, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 

This event provides an opportunity for members of Highline’s community to voice their questions, concerns, or their encountered challenges directly to local members of Washington State’s legislative branch over breakfast.

Friendsgiving throughout Highline

Thanksgiving is coming up, which means the season of stuffing has arrived! Highline College has TWO Friendsgiving events happening this week: MESA Potluck and Highline Clubs Friendsgiving. 

Opinion

Opinion: Black Friday doesn’t exist anymore

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.

No, “woke” and “DEI” aren’t valid criticisms

TV has been around so long that it’s old enough to be a millennial’s grandparent, yet it still remains the subject of such divisive topics like racism, misogyny, and classism.

Of course movies and shows of all kinds willingly delve into those topics, so it’s no surprise that they attract all sorts of opinions.

Modern gaming: Suffering from success

With “Dragon Age Veilguard’s” release a few days ago, the gaming community has been quite hostile. After nearly a decade, the game is finally out, but it hasn’t completely lived up to the hype. This is fine, as expectations were ridiculously high. What’s most important is that it has been well received. Despite the doom and gloom mindsets prerelease, “Dragon Age” made it.

You would think that this would be cause for celebration, but the gaming community is anything but positive about anything anymore. All the life in the community is being sucked out by “grifters” who continue to find new ways to complain about positive representations of people of color, and LGBTQ+ people.

Affectionate cats can change your life for the better

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.