Thinking Outside the Box

Big-box retailers are trapping our communities

  The opening of Costco in West Fargo last week scored a big hit with fans of the retailer across the Fargo-Moorhead community. Rumor has it that hopeful customers packed the parking lot the evening before the store’s grand opening. I cannot imagine how the opening of yet another big-box retail chain in Fargo could possibly be exciting.

The Fun Starts Here

For board game adventures

It’s the time of year when we North Dakotans are waving goodbye to autumn and teetering on the precipice of winter. Being outside does not hold much allure this time of year, at least for me. There is no snow yet for sledding, snowshoeing or snowboarding (what with all of our hills and such) and definitely no ice for skating yet.

Worlds Away

  As I mentioned before, I love telling stories. More than just telling people stories, I love to be told stories. As such, I don’t really enjoy television and movies for the cinematography, or the acting, or the special effects, but the overall brilliance of the story behind everything else.

Dig it or Ditch it

  Inside the generation I have grown up in, a lot of things have definitely changed faster than I ever thought they could. Remember the music we grew up listening to, the toys we played with, what games were played during our recesses and the shows we watched on the weekends? It’s amazing to think that so much of that has changed in the last decade.

Up in the Air

The battle over wind energy

  This December, a number of significant tax credits for wind energy development companies are set to expire, withdrawing millions of dollars from an industry that drastically needs government support to get up and running. Many wind energy production companies have already begun to terminate employees in a preemptive attempt to adjust for the loss of their tax credits.

Get Fit Fast: Election Edition

  I said I would not be writing about the election in my “Miss Adventure” column. For a girl with a list of opinions longer than Rapunzel’s hair, I am strangely passionless and ambivalent about the election. Before you gasp and lecture me, I assure you that I will, in fact, vote.

Breaking a Promise

  I told myself that this time around I was going to be different. I was going to keep my head low, make sure that everything I was doing was nice and kosher and remember to NOT get involved with the United States political machine. Well, basically, I lied! I decided to write about this after seeing two things.

‘Til Death Do Us Part

Tattoos are forever

  I was sitting in my room this weekend when a girl from my floor came in. “Hey, want to go with me to get a tattoo tonight?” Wait, seriously? I was all for going because I’ve never been with someone while they got a tattoo, but it made me think. Do people my age take getting a tattoo way too lightly? It almost seems like I know more people who have tattoos than people who don’t.

Crash and Burn

Striding on empty

  In a conversation I had with a fellow musician and friend of mine, while surrendering to wallowing self-pity involving an overabundance of school work, a job and trying to keep up a social life, questions began to arise. Is all the craziness of school is a legitimate reason to lose our minds and patience? I know college isn’t meant to be a cake walk, let alone instill the energy into us to prance like happy, fuzzy, majestic unicorns to class pre-determined to dominate anything thrown at us.

Glorious Fall is Finally Here

Enjoy it for what it’s worth

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating. As John Ruskin once said, “There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” Lately, the only thing on my mind has been rain and the fall weather.

Open Your Eyes

Victims are the solution to bullying

Perhaps you have heard of Amanda Todd. Her name has been all over the Internet lately, from Facebook and Twitter to news sites across the world. A 15 year old girl from British Columbia, she was harassed and bullied on the internet and in schools across the span of years and cities until she finally committed suicide two weeks ago.

How the Other Half Lives Part II

Journeys through the non-profit world

Last issue I discussed how I found my niche in the non-profit world after a few unsuccessful retail stints. While non-profits might not be for everybody, the important thing is that everybody can find a career that they view as meaningful and fits well with their values.

What if?

A look into uniqueness in society

  Have you ever succumbed to peer pressure? I will admit that I have. We all want to belong in some way or form. Even people who state that they do not care what people think of them do care in the sense of not caring. Now, I wonder what our world would be like if these social barriers did not trap us.

A Simple Heads Up

Are you ready?

  Lately, some of my friends have been lightly chattering amongst fellow students whether they want to be living in the dorms next semester, next year or not. Students find out what they don’t like in roommates, the weird quirky habits that rack your every nerve, or maybe even just strong dislikes in each others’ favorite types of music that may make you want to bash your head against a wall.

The Dreaded Fifteen

Is freshman year weight gain a myth?

Surely, we’ve all at least heard the phrase “The Freshman 15.” It seems to be one of those unavoidable, scary evils when entering your first year of college. It’s almost unfathomable to think that something that once was so easily avoided throughout high school suddenly would become so impossible to maintain.

Balancing the Scales

How to manage your time and improve your life

  If I have any regular readers out there, you will know that I just returned from a week in Puerto Rico studying ecotourism and large-scale planning for one of my classes. It was a great trip – not without it’s low spots and annoyances, but a fun and successful adventure in all.

The Magic of ‘Gangnam Style’

Waiting for shirtless PSY

  As a Korean singer PSY’s “Gangnam Style” has become a hit all over the world, my foreign Facebook friends have been talking to me about the song. I did not expect that this music video would be so popular when I saw it at first in Korea. PSY was not considered to be one of the singers who led the Korean Wave, which indicates the rising popularity of the Korean entertainment culture; nor is he considered someone who is a really “nice and handsome” singer.

Snowboarding in Today’s Times

The process of what snowboarding has become today

When the first snowflakes drop, the first thing that comes to mind is how I can go and carve on my board-- my snowboard to be more precise. Who would’ve thought that a simple board going down a hill would be one of the world’s most enjoyable winter sports? The genius who created this sport needs to be appreciated for his incredible and creative mind for thinking of the popular activity.

How the Other Half Lives

Journeys through the non-profit world

I have never really held a “normal job” for very long. Instead, I have gravitated towards the human service field dealing with crisis situations. As far as “normal jobs” go, I am talking about the types of jobs a majority of teenagers, young adults and college students work-- ones that primarily entail food and retail.

One Order of Imagination, Please

Hold the Video Games

College is a time for growing up, for finding our niche in the world, for moving past the learning-heavy phase of our life and into the doing-heavy phase. It is a time where we reap the fruits of the long hours of development we went through as children.

Let the People Decide: Americans Influence the Next Four Years

Whether people consider themselves red or blue, conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, a sense of nationalism has swept the country. Nationalism is defined as devotion and loyalty to one’s own nation. This devotion is being executed by citizens of the United States who are joining together to watch debates, voice their opinions as well as persuading the “undecided” of our country to vote for their particular candidate.

‘The Importance of Being Playful’

Last Saturday night seemed like a perfect prelude to Halloween. The distinctly angry wind howled decisively, pushing leaves off their branches, biting us with the cold, and sending us to take refuge within the warmth of blankets and hoodies. In juxtaposition to the ominous weather, three of my clients and I had an amazingly fun and nostalgic night decorating our treatment facility for Halloween.

Be a Real Hero

Our world has good people and bad. Unfortunately there are many evils out in this planet that we live on, fortunately we have many heroes trying to protect us from these evils. Heroes are trending the U.S. and probably the world; lately we have had more and more Marvel movies starring all of our favorite action heroes.

Our Bipolar Government

Why we need a third party

  With the first couple weeks of October, we enter the last month of the election season. With that last month, of course, come the presidential debates. Though their result may have little to no effect on polling numbers nationwide, as the candidates really are not saying anything they haven’t already said yet in their campaigns, there is one gaping hole in the American political system that the debates highlight.

Are Presidential Debates Constructive?

Big headlines sell commercials. And after the Presidential Debate on Wednesday, I didn’t need to look far for evidence. “Romney Dominates Debate,” “Economy focus of debate showdown” and “Not Debatable: Obama Stumbled.” These are the three headlines that flashed on CNN.

‘I’m Just a Jealous Guy’

If you have listened to the former Beatles singer/songwriter John Lennon’s song “Jealous Guy,” the title should look familiar to you. What I like about Lennon’s song is the identification and expression of his feeling throughout the song. I feel that many of us suffer from jealousy because we are not trying to identify the feeling.

Life Lessons from Grunge Metal Music

Yes, this article is about grunge metal, but it is more universal than that. I realize it might seem ridiculous that I could derive life lessons from music that is typically associated with immorality. Beyond the music though, it is about raw, uninhibited passion, it is about outsiders finding their place in the sun.

Seeing the World

Why don’t you just leave already?

  Dear readers, I hope you are all enjoying the flighty autumn weather way up there in North Dakota. As I type this, I am sitting at a sidewalk café on the sunny streets of Old San Juan, on the island of Puerto Rico, and enjoying the steady rays bathing the landscape in fuzzy warm light.

The Myth of ‘Awareness’

Enough with the colored ribbons, please

Two weeks ago, I was imbibing in a greasy burger and fries at the bastion of fast food empires. I noticed a little placard decorating the otherwise sterile, white table. The placard read, “Team McDonald’s: Celebrating together. This week, during National People Week, we say “Thank you” to our employees.

Pondering Home

A little thought

School has been in session for a few months, and they have already been a very emotional and taxing time for most students, and me as well. With Homecoming week being last week, rent checks being written out, groceries being bought to fill a hungry student after a ridiculously long day and after having a visit from the family last weekend, I begin to long for a sense of home and comfort aside blustery ol’ Fargo.

Spirituality with a Discipline

In contemporary society, many young people claim they are not religious, but instead spiritual. According to the Pew Research Center’s “Forum on Religion & Public Life,” Americans ages 18 to 29 are considerably less religious than older Americans. However, this notion makes me speculate the actual meaning behind the claim “spiritual but not religious.

Uncle Sam Wants You!

To Vote this November

Yes, it’s that time of year, folks: Voting season. With the countdown to Election day hovering right around a month, we citizens are getting bombarded with political advertisements left and right. You can’t watch a TV show anymore without hearing from your president, your senator’s challenger or even from politicians in another state that you can’t even vote for.

A Mother’s Lesson

Finding Hope in the Deepest Despair

Unless you are color blind, you have probably noticed the sea of pink that paints everything from merchandise on store shelves, to KFC buckets of chicken, to NFL players’ jerseys. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is upon us. For better or for worse, this is the time of year we are inundated with pink ribbon fever.

A History of Homecoming

As far back as I can remember, which, mind you, isn’t long if you consider the grand scheme of things or my calculus two exam scores, there has always been a homecoming celebration of some kind or another. When I was really young, I know my older siblings would have a good time at a dance after a football game.

Bomb Threat Fallout

Behind-the-Scenes Connections

Bomb threats seemed to be happening all over the country a couple of weeks ago. The University of Texas received a bomb threat at approximately 9:45 a.m. local time on Sept. 14, while NDSU received one at 9:04 a.m. central time. Later in the morning, Valparaiso University issued an “alert for unspecific threats to campus,” said The Huffington Post.

President Obama: Rebuilding America

  Barack Obama is rebuilding America; let’s remember how far we have come with this honorable president. In a video called “The Road We’ve Traveled” made by Obama for America and narrated by Tom Hanks, citizens can see what Obama has done for America during his first four years as president.

Strangers in Your Room

  They don’t steal my underwear. They don’t use my toothbrush. They don’t even get mad when I throw bananas at them while they’re showering. I have the best roommates in the world; there is nothing anyone could tell me to change my mind. Before school I was really nervous about having a roommate, as I’m sure a lot of other people were, too.

The Need for a Walkable Community

As a student of landscape architecture, one of my favorite subjects of study is urban design and regional planning. A topic that is extensively covered in environmental design schools of thought today, urban design is facing a more critical point than ever before, with the advent of the green revolution.

Misadventures in Modesty

Applying for grad schools and writing cover letters

I am on the cusp of graduation. I am so close to the finish line. I can almost taste the success this pricy piece of paper will bring me in such a fruitful economy! Excuse my thick-as-molasses sarcasm, but levity is how I deal with the unknown. I am sure swimming in a sea of uncertainty.

America! Give the Iranian President a Chance

Mohamed Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, has always been mistreated by the western world, and particularly by the United States. Yet again, the absence of the U.S and Israeli delegations at his UN assembly address proved that his views and ideas are popularly neglected.

Do We Ever Say Enough?

A mournful thought

Lately I have been trying to think of a positive or uplifting topic to write about, or something with substance that will get you thinking until your eyes boggle out of your skulls. But not all in life can be beautiful and happy, and not all of it works the way we would like it to.