COMMUNITY VOICES | Must-see Minneapolis: A Twin City vacation guide

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The Land of 10,000 Lakes has a rich history of offering the comforts of home balanced out with the conveniences of an urban city. Whether you’re a full-fledged Minnesotan ready for a staycation, or an outsider planning a visit to the Twin Cities, you won’t want to miss these must-see spots.Twin Cities GatewayThe Twin Cities Gateway is on the northern edge of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area and features all kinds of vacation activities. Minnesota’s largest outdoor water park is there, as is the National Sports Center, along with all kinds of indoor and outdoor activities.Water enthusiasts will enjoy a number of activities, including:Anoka Aquatic CenterBoatingFishingIce fishingSnowshoeingIce skatingBroom hockeyHuntingThanks to the abundance of lakes and parks in the area, there are plenty of activities for kids of all ages to take part in while exploring what Minnesota has to offer.Adventure SeaplanesAdventure Seaplanes airplane tours give a unique perspective of the area, taking passengers across the mighty Mississippi, over the rolling Minnesota plains, above the hills of Wisconsin, and even offer extended trips to the Northwest Territory and into the arctic. If you have the time and resources, you can even learn to fly your own plane, taking the trip up a notch.A romantic trip for two on one of these tours is a great way to pop the question. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | Media Mayhem: Pivotal Propaganda Over the Last Decade

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Propaganda has been used for hundreds of years to help inspire or injure institutions, causes, and people. Fortunately for the public, instant communication via the Internet has made negative propaganda more difficult to create. Whether it’s been through an ad hominem attack, a political endorsement, or a manipulation of information, negative propaganda has resulted in many conflicts and conspiracy theories throughout history. With that said, here are four pivotal examples of negative propaganda (lies) over the last decade.The Pat Tillman Story: U.S.When two planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into New York City’s Twin Towers on September 11, Pat Tillman was playing linebacker for the Arizona Cardinals in the National Football League. About eight months later, Tillman rejected a $3.2 million contract extension and enlisted to be an Army Ranger.  On April 22, 2004, the U.S. Army publicized that Tillman had been killed by Taliban militants near the Pakistani border in Afghanistan. Continue Reading