The Northern Light

24/06/2025

‘Gamer Recognizes Game’ is a column that reviews older games to see how they stack up to modern releases

Recent releases in The Legend of Zelda series, “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom,” are praised for their open-world exploration. This is largely due to the series featuring primarily linear exploration after the release of “A Link to the Past” in 1991. However, the shift from linear exploration to open-world didn’t happen overnight. It started with an indirect sequel to “A Link to the Past” released on the Nintendo 3DS.

Released in 2013, “The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds” initially seemed to be another HD remake of an old title from the “Zelda” series, similar to “Ocarina of Time 3D”.

Instead, “A Link Between Worlds” took the best parts of “A Link to the Past” and improved them, while also introducing new ideas to the franchise.

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Recent releases in The Legend of Zelda series, “Breath of the Wild” and “Tears of the Kingdom,” are praised for their open-world exploration. This is largely due to the series featuring primarily linear exploration after the release of “A Link to the Past” in 1991. However, the shift fro...

24/06/2025

It is undeniable that, compared to other eras, modern NBA games are high-scoring affairs. With the explosion of three-point shooting across the league, it’s rare for teams to remain under the 100 point threshold during a game.

Despite basketball’s pace becoming faster with each passing year, games are noticeably slowed more and drag on longer than they used to. How can that be?

The most commonly thrown out answer is free throws. Teams and players are clearly abusing the shot — just look at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. For every foul that’s called, teams take what feels like an eternity to get to their spots, warm up their motion and then shoot a free throw.

This problem is exacerbated when multiple free throws are awarded to a player, or when a team substitutes players in the break between multiple free throws. One thing is for certain even if we disregard the issues that many fans have with free throws: Every second spent taking a free throw is a second that could be spent watching exhilarating offensive possessions.

One solution that could be used to speed up the pace of free throws could be a timer similar to the pitch clock in Major League Baseball. If a player takes too long to warm up and subsequently shoot a free throw, the player forfeits the privilege to shoot that free throw and possession is returned to the other team.

Another aspect of free throws that sullies the viewing experience of fans is the additional time loss that can come from them. Teams can elect to take a timeout between free throws, meaning more time will be spent waiting for the actual game to resume. Then, to make matters worse, ads will probably be run while the timeout occurs — once again adding to fan annoyance.

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It is undeniable that, compared to other eras, modern NBA games are high-scoring affairs. With the explosion of three-point shooting across the league, it’s rare for teams to remain under the 100 point threshold during a game.

16/06/2025

This is Sound and Sociology, a column that focuses on music, sociology — and sometimes both.

I haven’t written about music recently — for the sake of my sanity — so I’ve dedicated the next few installments of “Sound and Sociology” to some of my favorite projects from the past year. The first project I am covering is Doechii’s newest mixtape, “Alligator Bites Never Heal” — “ABNH.

”Released Aug. 30, 2024, “ABNH” is 19 songs and spans approximately 46 minutes.

“ABNH” has three hit singles: “Nissan Altima,” “Boom Bap,” and “Denial Is a River.” Much of the album revolves around Doechii’s own experiences with depression, drug addiction, her newfound fame and wealth and the struggles of navigating adulthood.

A noticeable characteristic of this album is its lack of adherence to a specific tone. Many of the songs emulate the boom-bap sound that’s reminiscent of hip-hop's older era. While half the album has a brighter sound, the other half is dark and gloomy. Much of the album also utilizes modern sounding ambiance as to not stray too far from Doechii’s usual sound.

Different elements of her artistry and sound blend together seamlessly on “ABNH,” and it helps the album encapsulate how versatile and whimsical Doechii is.

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I haven’t written about music recently — for the sake of my sanity — so I’ve dedicated the next few installments of “Sound and Sociology” to some of my favorite projects from the past year. The first project I am covering is Doechii’s newest mixtape, “Alligator Bites Never Heal” .....

16/06/2025

As the NBA experiences a dynasty drought, many fans and analysts blame parity for a decline in viewership.

Since its inception, the NBA has always had at least one dynasty team in the league. The first dynasty to grace the NBA was the Minneapolis Lakers, who won five championships between 1949 and 1954. But since the Golden State Warriors dynasty won two championships in a row and made a finals appearance in 2019, dynasties have vanished from the league entirely.

Including this year, a different team has won the NBA Finals every year since the 2019 finals series. With this change, viewership of each NBA Finals has decreased every year, with the only increase coming when the Warriors were back in the finals in 2022.

This spike was partially caused by casual audiences tuning in to see whether the Warriors' fading dynasty could make one last push for another championship. Casual fans love seeing historically great teams win — and they also love seeing them lose.

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Since its inception, the NBA has always had at least one dynasty team in the league. The first dynasty to grace the NBA was the Minneapolis Lakers, who won five championships between 1949 and 1954. But since the Golden State Warriors dynasty won two championships in a row and made a finals appearanc...

12/06/2025

BREAKING NEWS
Protesters gathered in the parking lot of the Anchorage Correctional Complex on Tuesday night to oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention of 42 men at the facility.

Several Anchorage Police Department officers arrived at the complex in response to the protest. The detentions are part of the Trump administration's immigration policy aimed at removing immigrants from the country, according to the Associated Press.

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Protesters gathered in the parking lot of the Anchorage Correctional Complex on Tuesday night to oppose U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention of 42 men at the facility.

10/06/2025

Pedestrians have the right of way

Pedestrians and less invasive transit options once dominated city roads, but as times evolved, roads transformed to conform to the modern vehicle, kicking pedestrians to the curb

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Jaywalking cartoon published in the New York Herald Tribune, created by Winsor McCay, dated 1925. Courtesy of Casino Ratings Copenhagenize.

10/06/2025

Evil Wizard performs at Refuge Coffee grand opening

On May 30, 2025, local jazz group Evil Wizard played at Refuge Coffee’s grand opening event. Local vendors such as 907 Bagel Company, Alaska Soft Serve Company and The Modern Indigenous also had pop-ups at the business throughout the day.

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http://www.thenorthernlight.org/stories/evil-wizard-performs-at-refuge-coffee-grand-opening

10/06/2025

Justice Live! at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

On May 21 and 22, French electronic duo Justice performed live at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The show featured local singer The Dare as the opener, followed by a 90-minute performance from Justice. The music within the show encompassed the band’s entire discography, featuring many songs from the albums “Hyperdrama” and “Woman Worldwide.”

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http://www.thenorthernlight.org/stories/justice-live-at-the-bill-graham-civic-auditorium

04/06/2025

New series documenting the adventures of the TNL staff

Since becoming a city 175 years ago, San Francisco has become one of the most densely populated cities in the United States. San Francisco is full of unique experiences for anyone who visits it, featuring stunning art, gorgeous parks and diverse cultures. And with the city’s robust sidewalks and public transit, traveling anywhere is affordable — if not free.

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https://www.thenorthernlight.org/stories/photos-tnl-travels-san-francisco

04/06/2025

At the time of writing this, the Indiana Pacers are up 3-2 against the New York Knicks. As such, this article will feature hypothetical predictions for how both teams in the Eastern Conference Finals would match up against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder vs. the Indiana Pacers:

This is the matchup I believe is more likely. The Pacers look like they could give the Thunder a run for their money. So far in the playoffs, the Thunder have relied on monster scoring performances from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. They’ve won games off the backs of poor shooting nights from their opponents and have shown flashes of being able to outgun other teams offensively.

The Thunder have also shown their ability to adapt their defensive scheme mid-series to great effect. The best example of this was the Thunder assigning Alex Caruso to guard Nikola Jokic in Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets. Despite this being a defensive mismatch on paper, Caruso’s pesky defense ended up being the key to the Thunder closing that series out with a win.

However, the Pacers don’t really falter if one player underperforms. The team only really struggles if they have a down shooting night, such as their Game 5 against the New York Knicks. That Game 5 was the first time in this year's playoffs that the Pacers failed to put up over 100 points in a game.

I find it hard to fathom that they’ll continue to have shooting woes, especially across a seven game series. What’s more likely is that the Pacers will continue to move the ball around efficiently on offense and find ways to slow the Thunder down on defense. The Pacers have already upset the Cleveland Cavaliers — the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. I think they pull off the upset here as well — winning the NBA Finals in six games.

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At the time of writing this, the Indiana Pacers are up 3-2 against the New York Knicks. As such, this article will feature hypothetical predictions for how both teams in the Eastern Conference Finals would match up against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

04/06/2025

Album review

Justice is a French electronic duo known for their constantly evolving sound and their visually impressive live performances. With every album they have put out, Justice has sought to make the most dramatic and auditorially distinct music out there. Their most recent release, “Hyperdrama,” is no different.

Released on April 26, 2024, I consider Hyperdrama to be Justice’s best album so far. I was so captivated with the album when it was released that I almost didn’t notice the feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. In the 13 months since, I haven’t been able to stop listening to it.

One of the big reasons why I haven’t been able to put the album down is the opening track on the album — “Neverender.” In terms of all time great opening tracks, “Neverender” is up there as one of the best. Featuring vocals from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, the song opens gently with layered synths and Parker’s voice echoing in the background.

The drums come in, the vocals and the synths crescendo to meet them, and then “Neverender” really kicks off. The song pulls you in with a mix of beautiful synth chords, Parker’s harmonized vocals and a pulsing bassline. All these components blend together to give the track a robust sound.

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Justice is a French electronic duo known for their constantly evolving sound and their visually impressive live performances. With every album they have put out, Justice has sought to make the most dramatic and auditorially distinct music out there. Their most recent release, “Hyperdrama,” is no...

02/06/2025

'Sinners' is the gift that keeps giving. Spoilers ahead!

“Sinners” is a film about the son of a preacher named Sammie — played by Miles Canton — who works on a plantation in Clarksdale Mississippi in the late 1930s.

Sammie is invited by his twin cousins, Smoke and Stack — both of whom are played by Michael B. Jordan — to play guitar at a new juke joint that they are opening.

Sammie and the other patrons of the joint find out that Sammie has the gift of calling on both past and future spirits with his musical talents.

However, these musical abilities also attract an ancient vampire by the name of Remmick — played by Jack O’Connel. After changing nearly everyone inside the juke joint into a vampire, Remmick uses a multitude of tricks to try and lure the remaining patrons out of the building.

The bloody final battle of the film leaves Sammie and one of the twins — Smoke — as the only survivors of the massacre. It’s an ending that nearly brought me to tears when I first watched it.

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“Sinners” is a film about the son of a preacher named Sammie — played by Miles Canton — who works on a plantation in Clarksdale Mississippi in the late 1930s.