Opinion/Editorial

I felt the hard, cold steel of a gun against the back of my head. I spun around and saw my assailant’s finger shaking on the trigger: “Don’t run or I’ll shoot you,” he said. I was just 14 years old, and death was a stranger to me.

It was 1969, and Nigeria was embroiled in civil war. As a teenage refugee conscripted into the Biafran Army, I was forced at gunpoint to carry weapons to the Oguta front. It was a 24-hour, march through mosquito-infested mangroves flooded by the River Niger.

When the 30-month war ended on January 15, 1970, I was discharged and reunited with my parents. Together with one million returning refugees we walked for three days, avoiding landmines along fetid rainforest footpaths. Eventually, we reached our hometown of Onitsha. It was badly battered by the war.

A while back, I read an article by a movie reviewer, and he tried to convince his readers that the best movies ever made were produced in the 1970’s. At first, I didn’t think he was serious.

After all, the movie industry has experienced major improvements in technology during the last 30-40 years. Could the movies from that long-ago era really compare favorably to modern films? Yes, according to this author, and he provided five strong examples to make his case. Naturally, you can also use examples to support your persuasive arguments, but as you write the example essay, you should try to answer the following three questions.

With less than two months before the election, Republicans and Democrats are driving it home: this is the election of the century.

And they’re right: there is a lot at stake this year. This could be the year we change the lives of 47 million Americans by providing them with decent health care and millions more with a living wage. It could be the year that we listen to 68 percent of Americans and 84 percent of Iraqis and withdraw occupying forces. It could be the year that we cut the near-trillion dollar defense budget, repeal NAFTA, revoke the Patriot Act and the illegal wiretapping FISA bill, build a green energy infrastructure, discipline runaway corporations, and reign in the manic speculation driving the current food and housing crises.

That is Ralph Nader’s plan, anyway -- to offer Americans what the polls show they want.

“It’s a girl.” Those three words hold so much meaning. Right about now, your mind probably bounces immediately to images of baby showers you nobly suffered through in the past. If you cringe at the thought of baby showers and pink onesies, than be not alarmed, I’m not announcing the birth of a bouncing baby girl. The girl I’m referring to is Sarah Palin, and she is the Vice Presidential Candidate for the Republican Party. For the first time in our nation’s history, a female Republican is running for Vice Presidency.

The Alaskan governor made her stunning debut Wednesday, September 3rd when she delivered her speech at the Republican National Convention. If you haven’t seen the speech, look it up online; it’s worth watching. For those of us who watched the GOP Convention, we got a first time look into the personality of this Palin, whose name most of us would never have recognized six months ago.

Procrastination. It’s a word we are all familiar with. It causes stress, and generally speaking it is a poor learning process, yet we do it anyway. Why is this? I would assume that it is because we find great satisfaction in completing things last minute and earning that A grade. Knowing that you got the grade and had time to enjoy yourself is always a plus. I personally do not recommend procrastination and I will tell you specifically how I learned from my mistake.

It was during my senior year in high school that I learned to get my act together about procrastination. It was in a class I have never enjoyed: math. Near the end of the year, we had a research project due on correlation in Pre-Calculus. I was not all that excited about it, to say the least. I told myself that I would get it out of the way and that I would do it early. Of course, this never happened.

If I told you that the Capital District is one of the most fertile areas for American novelists, you might view my comment with a bit of skepticism. After all, usually when people think of literary hot spots in this country, they think of major metropolitan areas such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago before they think of upstate New York. However, I do have four major examples to back up my argument, and as a writer, you, too, can use examples to make a point.

Beginning September 27th the American Library Association is hosting their annual Banned Books Week, celebrating the right to “read what you want.” Events are held all over the United States; book displays, readings from commonly banned books, as well as other types of festivities are being held at various libraries around the country.

It’s commonly thought that book burning is an obsolete tradition, yet in May 2008, copies of the New Testament of the Bible were burned in Israel for “conflicting” with local beliefs. Even here, in the land of freedom, the United States of America, Books are still banned today.

“Ultimately, it’s both unethical, immoral and un-American,” says Draconis Kenjishiya, a Hudson Valley student, “being both an infringement of freedom of speech and our right to read and look at what we want to.”

As the fall semester of 2008 begins, I find myself eagerly awaiting the first students to arrive in The Writing Center. Each year, we have a few success stories that really stand out, and last year was no exception. Allow me to share with you the stories of Cathy, José, and Shea.

Cathy was a returning student who had not been in school for a few years. Rather than go to college right after high school, Cathy joined the workforce and worked in a series of clerical jobs that allowed her to move forward in her career. However, at a certain point, she realized that without a college degree, her options might be limited, and she secretly wanted to become a lawyer. Thus, although she was a bit apprehensive at first, she enrolled as a full-time student, determined to take advantage of all the resources available to her.

The second week of classes is coming to a close and I am quickly learning that the word of the day is: ORGANIZATION. It amazes me with a load of fulltime classes and trying to balance coursework, homework and family life, that I have not learned this word earlier.

I thought I was a well organized person before I came here. Now that I am here, I find that need to better organize what I do during my day and wonder how to fit everything neatly into a 24 hour day. I have taken the time to look and say to myself that I need to do this and I can do this. But I never look at myself and said, “Now do this”.

It all comes down to schedule and how we progress through the day. How much time for this and how much time for that? And I still have to be ready for those curveballs I know that are coming my way- I just don’t know when they are coming.

Welcome back to HVCC for those of you who are returning students, and welcome to all new students!

Congratulations to all high school graduates and our non-traditional students for taking yet another step towards fulfilling your life goals! On behalf of the Hudsonian, I would like to wish you all a successful start to the semester while providing you with a few tips.

Stay organized! The Student Activities office on the second floor of the Siek Campus Center knows the value of this advice and has already provided you with a table of free planners. Go grab one now! You’ll find all upcoming events listed in there as well as a list of important contacts, the Student Senate Constitution, a club listing if you missed the orientation issue of the Hudsonian, and a lot more!