All posts by HPSH Plaid Line

Science/Nature

Nearly 1,000 pound meteor hits Texas

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By: Jasmine Williams

According to reports, on Wednesday, February 15, a meteor smashed into pieces in McAllen, Texas, as confirmed by NASA. Some of the other pieces had landed near Mexico’s border.

This meteor, known by others as an unknown object, weighs as much as a grand piano. That’s quite a meteor. This meteor was estimated to weigh about 1,000 pounds before breaking up.

The weather radar was used to help determine how the meteor entered the atmosphere by angle and speed, which was 27,000 miles per hour, stated by the NASA Meteor Watch. This helped NASA verify that the mysterious object was a meteorite. According to ‘CBS NEWS’, in three days, three different meteorites landed in Texas, France and Italy.

The meteorite had the power of around 8 loads of TNT, but no damage was caused, NASA said. The meteor made a mark in the sky and the Earth shook when it supposedly landed. There were photos and videos taken, shown on Twitter, and filmed on home security videos of the meteorite.

Most of the time, meteorites break into fragments heading towards the Earth. The meteorite that hit south Texas broke at a distance of 21 miles. The pieces, in diameter, were about two feet, as estimated by NASA.

Meteorites are called “shooting stars” or “fireballs” because of the way they appear in the sky. Any space rocks that are 82 feet, or smaller, tend to burn up before hitting the ground. Those rocks won’t cause destruction to the earth. Animated meteorites you would see online or in videos look like fireballs. Which is actually true, but some people might think it’s fake because of all the other animated versions of things. Like carrots in Looney Tunes, they look appetizing, but in real life that isn’t the case.

Fun fact: 100 tons of dust, and more, are estimated to arrive to the earth from space every day. A meteor the size of a football field hits the Earth almost every 2,000 years, causing major damage.

For more information, please visit:

Music/Concerts

The evolution of Jack Harlow

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By: Hannah Gliedman and Nagad Omar

Growing Up

Jackman Thomas Harlow, was born on March 13th, 1998 in Louisville, Kentucky. Born to Maggie and Brian Harlow, Harlow was raised on a horse farm with his younger brother.

It wasn’t until Harlow was 12 that he discovered the art of rapping. Harlow was surrounded by music while growing up but wrote his first unofficial rap in elementary school. His rap was geared towards the kids in his grade that bullied him for his eye patch.

By the time he was 12-years-old Harlow had made up his mind that rapping was what he was destined to do, even asking his mom “How do I become the best rapper in the world?”

Harlow was around music quite a bit growing up, his mother introduced him to bands like Tribe Called Quest, while his father was more into country.

Jack released his first rap at 12-years-old which was recorded off of a microphone from the Guitar Hero game, and titled it “Ripping and Rappin” . Harlow gave out 40 copies of the CD to kids at his middle school selling them for $2 each.

Fame

After Harlow acquired a real microphone, he began creating songs and putting them online, and he started gaining recognition around his community. After playing a few very small shows with almost no one in the audience, Harlow started gaining fans and created more music.

His first mixtapes were called ‘Moose Gang’ and ‘Moose for the Death’. In 2015, while still in high school, Harlow released his first EP, ‘The Handsome Harlow’, which was followed with a more expanded 2016 mixtape.

Harlow was then signed to the record label “Generation Now” in 2017. From there he started to gain more recognition and started collaborating with bigger artists.

His 2020 EP, ‘Sweet Action’, featured artists like CuBeatz, PoohBeatz, and 2forwOyNE. Harlow’s major breakthrough came from the song “What’s Poppin”, which gained almost 700 million views on TikTok, peaked at #2 on the Billboard top 100, and gave Harlow his first Grammy nomination for best rap performance.

In 2021, Harlow and rapper Lil Nas X collaborated on the song “Industry Baby” that became his biggest hit yet. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard top 100 and became extremely viral on TikTok.

With songs under his belt, Harlow released his first full length official album titled ‘Come Home the Kids Miss You’ in 2022, including songs like “First Class”, “State Fair”, “Dua Lipa”, and “Churchill Downs”. In that album, Harlow collaborated with many known artists like Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, lil Wayne and Drake.

Since then, and because of that album, Harlow has received many awards and recognitions. Harlow is continuing to make music and has also made brand deals with popular shoe brand New Balance and chip brand Doritos.

Harlow did announce he will be making his acting debut in the remake of the movie ‘White Men Can’t Jump’.

Awards

Harlow has been nominated for many awards like a Brit award for international song of the year, and a BET awards for best male hip hop artist. Harlow has also been nominated for 6 Grammys in the past 3 years for categories; best rap performance, album of the year, best rap song, best rap album, and best melodic rap performance twice. He has also won 4 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for song of the summer with “First Class” and best visual effects, best art direction, and best collaboration all won from “Industry Baby” with Lil Nas X.

Harlow was also featured in Forbes “30 under 30” in 2022. Along with being named Variety’s “Hitmaker of the Year”. Jack was also the cover of Teen Vogue in June of 2022, and has gained fans for his charming looks and demeanor.

For more information, please visit:

Travel/Food

‘Torrejas Estilo De Acapulco’ recipe

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By: Pablo Contreras

Let’s start with what are torrejas?

Torrejas are just slices of bread that is dipped into a type of honey, they sort of are just like French toast where they both are pieces of bread dipped/covered in honey.

This dessert’s sweetness is definitely very interesting; it has a weird taste. It might be the fact that it’s made of cane sugar. I have never had cane sugar, but if you have had it, then this will be perfect for you.

I sort of liked this, the only problem I had was the sugar. I just wasn’t expecting it to taste like that. I don’t know if it was because it was super sweet or the fact that it was made with piloncillo, which is just a form of cane sugar for those of you who were wondering what a piloncillo is.

This recipe is not mine but it’s from Fernanda Berlei, you can look her up on YouTube where the recipe is. The video of this recipe is in Spanish, so beware if you don’t speak or understand Spanish. I translated the recipe here so that everyone can understand it.

Now, let’s get into the recipe:

Torrejas estilo de Acapulco
Now here’s a list of the ingredients that you are going to need:

  • 1 Bolillo (oval shaped piece of bread, like a baguette – only much smaller)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5 lime Peels (slice off 5 pieces of peel from a lime)
  • Half of a Piloncillo
  • 3 eggs
  • Vegetable Oil
  • 1 liter of water

Here are the steps to make the honey:

  1. First grab a big pot and add in 1 liter of water, 1 stick of cinnamon and 5 lime peels
  2. Next use your knife to cut half of a piloncillo, only put in half of the piloncillo in the pot
  3. Now put your pot on the stove on medium heat and let the piloncillo melt down

While we wait for the piloncillo to melt down here’s how to prepare the thing that we are going to dip our bread:

  1. First separate the yolk and egg whites into two different bowls
  2. Now in the bowl with the egg whites put in a pinch of salt and use a mixer to beat the egg whites until it’s a foamy texture
  3. When the egg whites are a foamy texture add in the egg yolks one by one slowly (Make sure to not mix them thoroughly just enough to spread the egg yolks everywhere)
  4. After you mix everything you should get a yellow foamy texture

Now onto frying the bread:

  1. On a pan, add in a lot of oil and wait until it’s heated
  2. While waiting for the oil to heat up grab your bolillo and cut the bread into small equal slices
  3. Next, grab one of the small bread slices and dip it into the yellow foamy mix (Make sure to cover the whole bread slice with the mix)
  4. Now that your bread is covered with the yellow foam, fry your bread
  5. Fry your bread till both sides are golden brown
  6. Once both sides are golden brown ,take your fried bread and place it on a plate with paper on it so it can absorb the leftover oil

Now to add the final touches to the bread:

  1. When the piloncillo is fully melted, keep it cooking for about 5 minutes on medium heat (don’t turn off the stove yet)
  2. Once the five minutes are up use a spoon to take out the cinnamon stick and the lime peels
  3. Now grab your fried bread slices and place them all in the pot with the honey that we made with the piloncillo
  4. Then turn off stove while leaving the bread in with the honey (Make sure all of your bread slices are covered in the honey
  5. Once the pot has cooled down take out the bread and enjoy

Here’s the link to the original recipe:

Cross Country

Cross country world championship results

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By: Ellie Moore

3 races took place in Bathurst, Australia on the 18th of February. The first was the mixed relay: 2 girls and 2 boys would run 2k each for a total of 8k. The boys were required to start and run the third leg. The girls would run the second leg and the final leg.

The course was extremely hilly and swampy. As the runners came into the handoff zone and finish, they had to weave between stacks of tires.

The boys started the race. South Africa and Kenya coming into the handoff zone 6 seconds ahead of everyone else. Australia, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Great Britain, Morocco, and Canada had a tight chase pack, all handing off to the girls only 2 seconds off of each other.

Australia had a strong second leg, and after the lap handed off in first with a time of 11:34. Kenya close behind at 11:39. Ethiopia and South Africa chasing only 8 seconds behind Kenya. The United States moved up 5 places to lead the second chase pack.

When the third lap started, Kenya took the early lead over Australia. South Africa and Ethiopia stuck together in the chase pack. The United States still in 5th. Kenya handed off 8 seconds ahead of Australia. South Africa and Ethiopia gaining on the lead, only 3 seconds behind.

Kenya ended up making a gap at the start of the 4th lap that was too big to make up, so the race was really for second and third. Australia stayed in front of Ethiopia, but Ethiopia caught up quickly. They ran together until the end when Ethiopia made a big kick, making a gap on Australia.

Kenya ended up winning the race by 7 seconds. Ethiopia got second and Australia got third. South Africa was 24 seconds behind for fourth, and the United States got fifth.

The next race was the women’s U20 8k. The race was a very close race with the top three finishers coming in less than 10 second apart. For the first lap the top 17 runners ran together coming through the lap within 7 seconds of each other. After the second lap the race spread out a bit. The top 11 created a pack running 7 seconds apart from each other. United States, Irene Riggs and Ellie Shea lead the chase pack.

By the end, the race became a lot more spread out. Senayet Getachew from Ethiopia won the race with a time of 20:53. Her teammate, Medina Eisa, 7 seconds behind. Kenya’s Pamela Kosgei came in third with a time of 21:01.

The men’s 12k had a very close finish. The top 3 finished just 2 seconds apart. Like the women, the men’s race started out very close with the 60 in a tight pack. After the second lap they spread out with the top 15 creating a smaller pack.

In the end, Ishmael Kipkurui and Reynold Kipkorir Cheruiyot from Kenya finished first and second only 1 second apart. Ethiopia’s, Baki Diriba came in third just one second off Cheruiyot.

Overall, in the women’s race, Ethiopia won with 15 points. Kenya and the United State in second and third with 22 and 54 points.

In the men’s race, Kenya took first as a team with 22 points. Ethiopia close behind with 23. The United States got 81 points to lead them to third.

Music/Concerts

Brewing controversy amid Zach Bryan ticket sales

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By: Abby Altman

Zach Bryan is a rising country singer who made himself known after posting videos on YouTube and TikTok, and rising in fame after releasing his single “Something in the Orange” in April of 2022. The song made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 2022, and hit the top 10 in January.

In December of 2022, Bryan released ‘All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live from Red Rocks)’, a live album recorded at a 2022 concert. With the album, Bryan released a statement against the large increase in ticket prices via Ticketmaster.

In late January, Zach Bryan announced the official Burn Burn Burn Tour across the United States. Bryan, previously expressing his disdain for Ticketmaster, scalpers, and tickets being resold at a higher resale value, utilized a ticket sales site called AXS.

AXS is a sports and entertainment ticket sales outlet, first deployed in 2011.

After announcing the tour, Bryan opened presale registration, with a $1 sign-up fee. Randomly selected fans were then notified several weeks later with the opportunity to purchase tickets, ranging from $40 to $156 at the absolute maximum.

Fans selected to purchase tickets received an email from AXS, which led to fans checking their inbox every 30 seconds for 3 days straight. Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok are filled with fans expressing anger and sadness over “not getting the email”.

Along with using AXS, Bryan is not allowing the transfer of tickets to avoid reselling. The original purchaser of the ticket must be in attendance at the concert, with an ID matching the name of the ticket holder.

While the thought process behind the idea is sound, the resale policy has not stopped scalpers from trying. Tickets for the Burn Burn Burn tour have been appearing on sites such as VividSeats and TickPick for hundreds more than the original sale value. Zach Bryan and his organization have done everything in their power to try and make it clear; These tickets will not be accepted, and no refunds will be given.

Buyers selected to purchase tickets were first notified on February 14th through the 17th. For most concerts, fans were allowed to purchase up to 4 tickets, and for the concerts held at Red Rocks Amphitheater, fans were limited to 2 tickets per purchase.

While the random selection process worked just as Bryan had explained, many fans who were not selected were angry and spoke out publicly on social media.

During the selection process, Zach Bryan deactivated his Twitter account to avoid the harassment and hate. Shortly after tickets had been sold out, Bryan returned to Twitter saying “sorry guys had to avoid Twitter while the tour went on sale. I love you guys all so much and I’m so insanely happy and blessed.”

Bryan disappeared from social media once again a few weeks later after tweeting “Jesus, you guys have taken it out of me, see ya man, tried my best”. He reappeared 2 weeks later, but the complaints regarding ticket sales have not ceased.

Demand for tickets to see Zach Bryan in concert is much higher than the supply of seats to sell tickets to. Aside from adding more tour dates, there’s not much Bryan can do about the overwhelming number of fans who didn’t secure tickets.

Zach Bryan did exactly what he said he was going to do, in reducing ticket prices, eliminating scalpers reselling his tickets, and creating the fairest way possible for people to get access to his show. It’s understandable that those without tickets would be upset, but the amount of heat Bryan has received from upset fans is completely unwarranted.

The Burn Burn Burn tour will begin May 10th in Charlottesville, Virginia, and last until the end of August.

Travel/Food

Top 10 Jelly Belly jelly beans

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By: Caden Kipfmueller

Jelly beans. Who doesn’t love ‘em? Jelly beans have been around for a while, and though their exact origins are lost in time, they have been a staple in candy stores for as long as anyone can remember. Kicking off in popularity during the 1930s, these beans have been a favorite of many famous people, including Ronald Reagan. In honor of the jelly bean, we will be going through the top ten flavors out there.

10. Juicy Pear
Perhaps one of the most accurate-tasting jelly beans, Juicy Pear is well known for tasting exactly like what it sounds like. It’s an acquired taste, but many appreciate it for its authenticity and accuracy.
9. Piña Colada
If you like Piña Coladas and getting caught in the rain then this jelly bean is for you. The Piña Colada jelly bean is fruity and proud of it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t taste great if you eat too many, which is why it isn’t higher.
8. Chocolate Pudding
One of the most underrated jelly beans, Chocolate Pudding has a deep, rich flavor. Unfortunately, it looks exactly like a variety of lower quality beans, and so jelly bean enthusiasts often mistake them for other types.
7. Strawberry Cheesecake
Known for its distinctive pink and red speckle, Strawberry Cheesecake is the type of bean everyone, young or old can enjoy. If only there were other cheesecake flavors!
6. Kiwi
There’s not much to say about Kiwi. It’s just good. 9/10 would recommend.
5. Buttered Popcorn
Easily the most controversial bean on the list, Buttered Popcorn is a savory choice even though most other jelly beans are sweeter. It’s not for everyone, but you may be surprised if you give it a chance.
4. Coconut
One bite of this bean transports you to the beaches of Hawaii, surrounded by palm trees. Perfect for any occasion.
3. French Vanilla
So good it makes you actually believe it’s from France.
2. Blueberry
This bean is so good it might as well actually replace the blueberry.
1. Caramel Corn
This bean is mind blowing. Many claim eating it is an out-of-body experience. It’s a travesty you can’t buy it individually, because the rest of the beans taste bland compared to this.

Science/Nature

Why shoebills are the most menacing birds

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By: Mae Skold

Shoebills are human sized birds native to Africa. They can have up to a 7 foot wingspan and be up to 4 feet tall but their most distinctive feature would have to be their beak that can grow up to a foot long. The call, this bird’s beak, allows them to make is what considers them the most menacing bird of all.

The machine gun-like sound these birds emit terrorizes those who come across them in their native land of central Africa. They can often be sighted on the riverbanks of the Congo River hunting for fish. This complicates fisherman’s lives as the birds are very territorial. Locals warn people about their aggressive tendencies and advise that when hearing their bill-clattering sound to leave the area.

When spotted, they are known to look almost statue-like. If approached too intimately their statue-like character will break and they lunge with the beak. Because they have such long legs and beaks, their lunge is very powerful and people can be reached from farther away than you may think. Because of this, shoebills are responsible for 2-3 human deaths every year.

When left alone, these birds lead a normal life on the riverbanks of Africa. They feed on catfish and lungfish which are mainly fed to the young.

Laying season is in the spring, so after laying 2-3 eggs, the parent’s babies can be independent by the following fall. It takes the babies about 3 years to reproduce and continue the cycle of life.

Though shoebills can be a menace to their native African communities, when left alone they are a thriving species that contribute to the native wildlife of Central Africa. As long as their habitat is undisturbed, shoebills and humans can live in harmony.

For more information, please visit:

  • “Shoebill Stork.” biologydictionary.net/shoebill-stork/
World

Deadly earthquake takes aim at Turkey and Syria

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By Aeden Evenson-McDermott

In the early hours of February 6th, the 7.8 magnitude quake occurred making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in the history of the region, and worldwide, while being the deadliest in years since the 1939 one.

Many aftershocks occurred after, with the deadliest one to be a 7.5 magnitude aftershock. The main concern of this is that despite the damage already caused, the aftershock occurs with quite a large force which also cripples buildings and poses great structural damages.

With one of the deadliest quakes to strike, it posed many humanitarian calls for aid and support from around the world.

With the event occurring in southern Turkey and northern Syria, it decimated large cities and made matters worse with the countries already experiencing a refugee crisis. Furthermore, it was an overall wide ranging event that would lead to an all out search and rescue with teams scouring through the rubble for many hours.

As of February 24, the death toll neared 49,000 according to the United Nations. With much of city’s and town’s infrastructures destroyed, it left many homeless and exposed to the elements in the night time.

Much of the rescue operations resulted in many of thousands saved from being pulled from the rubble but it left many stranded and in the evenings, folks had bonfires in order to stay warm.

As the quake spanded 200 miles, the desperation was wide ranging with Turkey declaring a national emergency for the near future; the health care system is crippled and overwhelmed with the influx of patients receiving aid. Syria is currently grappling with the recurring civil war, divisions within territories, and tense relations between president Bashar Al-Assad and much of the West.

The United Nations’ Secretary General, led by António Guterres, proposed near $400 million in aid to help with the humanitarian crisis in Syria as well.

With much work to do in both countries, it will take awhile until cities can try to be rebuilt and aid comes more free flowing to help with the devastating crisis of circumstances.

Clubs and Activities

The spirit and history of FFA week

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By: Truman Vang

What is FFA week? For those who don’t know, FFA week is a holiday that happens on the last week of February annually. During this year, the event occured from February 18th to the 25th. This is the time where local FFA chapters help celebrate their pride with the National FFA Organization. Often, students will hold events for the community to indulge in. Whether it be having an Ag Olympics, or doing some community service, FFA members are always at work during this week.

FFA stands for Future Farmers of America, or rather being known as the National FFA Organization. The organization puts students through an immersive experience to learn about agriculture and develop leadership, communication and critical thinking skills. First founded in 1928, the organization has been pushing these values ever since.

Within its youth, FFA decided to create a day for itself, known as the “National FFA Day.” Through its existence, members celebrated their chapters and the organization as a whole. Eventually, in 1947, the day became the week we know it as today.

Its placement within the year also followed George Washington’s Birthday, after the organization had purchased land from him that he owned. In 1948, FFA week officially started, giving us the holiday we know today.

Through its many years of existence, FFA members have pushed themselves to have wonderful FFA weeks throughout. Our own Highland Park FFA Chapter has been doing many things for this week. For instance, through the past few weeks, members have held an appreciation breakfast for hard working teachers and staff alike. Along with this, we’ve been providing prizes to anyone that’s been able to properly answer trivia questions, as well as being able to find our scavenger hunt emblems.

FFA week stands as a certain period of time that we can celebrate FFA for what it is, whilst promoting it to new students. It’s also a time within the year, just to have fun whilst celebrating something we’re a part of.

Entertainment, Science/Nature

Fun facts about gophers

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By: Daniel Kendle

Here are some fun facts you probably didn’t know about gophers (Geomys Bursarius). Gophers are animals within the family Rodentia, and are mammals. They are small, prairie dog-sized creatures that are primarily herbivores, living in long complex tunnels. But now, here are some more interesting facts.

  1. Gophers generally go about their tunnels backwards, not forwards. This is because they can then use their small tails to help find their way throughout their tunnels, mainly because they live solitary lives most of the time. Their tails are only 3-4 inches in length.
  2. Gophers have poor eyesight and hearing. They instead have an acute sense of touch, using both their paws and whiskers in tandem in order to navigate their way around.
  3. Gophers can operate human technology with relative ease. Gophers are secretly possessive of 2 thumbs, one on each of their hands. This allows them to be able to hold various objects, such as a knife, doughnut, or stolen wallet. When one sees a gopher holding something with an opposable thumb, alerting a SWAT team is important.
  4. Gophers can smell blood from up to 200 miles away. It is common knowledge that some sharks can smell blood in the water from a good distance away. But gophers also have this trait, and they have a much more refined sense of smell. Whenever trekking in a place known to have gophers, it is common sense to bandage-up any cuts.
  5. Gophers are known to use their lips to clear out dirt. More specifically, their lips have evolved to close behind their incisors in order to prevent dirt from entering their throat and mouth.
  6. Gophers have the ability to understand human speech. Specifically, English. Through hearing many a talk from passing humans whilst they reside in their tunnels, they’ve begun the process to speak to humans. Of course, the only language they’ve been able to master is Klingon.
  7. Gophers love playing video games. Specifically, their 3 favorite games are ‘God of War: Ragnarok,’ ‘Halo ODST,’ and ‘Jeopardy!’ for the Wii.
  8. Gophers can be milked. The act of doing so is quite complicated, almost deserving of its own article (I will never write this), but to summarize, holding 2 fingers to its back and gently petting it will cause it to regurgitate Gopher MilkTM, which can be made into various dairy products. While this is an endangered practice nowadays, those who’ve taken part in consuming some cheese of this substance remark that it tastes much like Whale MilkTM. This is because, obviously, gophers and whales are very close cousins on the evolutionary tree.
  9. Gophers are incapable of digesting Taco Bell. While some may think this is a disadvantage, the trait proves to be beneficial to them. In fact, it is proven that this is a case of convergent evolution alongside humans.
  10. Gophers are incapable of doing the laundry. Hey, I think my mom wrote this…
  11. Gophers are rumored to exist on another plane of reality than us. This is a likely theory due to the fact that gophers often exercise the practice of dark magic, what with drinking goat blood and whatever.
  12. Gophers are mammals. If you didn’t know this before, then I’m concerned for your wellbeing.

Well, I hope you’ve learned something new about gophers! Tune in next week where we talk about the world’s hottest, most attractive mammal around, the naked mole rat.

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[THIS WRITTEN DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SEIZED BY THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.]

*Note: If you didn’t pick up on the sarcasm in this article, we need to inform you that yes, this was a satirical article.