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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.

Are you looking to own a game-worn, commemorative item of Tri-City ValleyCats history while helping to prevent cancer, save lives and diminish suffering from the devastating disease?  If so, the ValleyCats are hosting an online auction of game-worn and autographed jerseys worn by the Houston Astros affiliate ValleyCats and the Boston Red Sox affiliate Lowell Spinners. 

All proceeds of the auction will benefit the American Cancer Society.

The ValleyCats and Spinners donned the jerseys of their Major League affiliate clubs on September 5, the season finale.  The ValleyCats won 5-4 on a walk-off hit by David Flores, who also contributed two home runs in the contest. 

Lance Armstrong, the king of cycling, recently announced he was coming out of retirement.

The world of cycling has seen many great athletes, but none as great as Lance Armstrong. Armstrong has had seven consecutive wins at the Tour de France. After missing three years of the Tour de France, the 37 year old has decided to get back on the bike. “I have decided to return to professional cycling in 2009,” said Armstrong in an interview with The Telegraph. “The reason for this is to launch an international cancer stage based on the fact that we lose 8 million people around the world to this disease- more than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.”

After his battle with testicular cancer Armstrong claims he is totally committed and plans to reclaim the podium which was once his. Sited on ESPN’s web site Bill Stapleton, Armstrong’s lawyer and longtime confidant, said, “We’re not going to try to win second place.”

Hudson Valley Community College’s boys soccer team improved to an amazing 6-0-1 record Wednesday, September 18 with their win over the Panthers of Tompkins Cortland Community College. A very physical game was played by the two teams involving some unsportsmanlike conduct.

The first half was a dead lock at 0-0 as both teams were playing a tough and grueling game, supporting their respective goalies. Meanwhile each of the teams’ coaches was trying to make something happen on the offensive side of the ball.

Finally, John LaForest scored the first goal for the Vikings by kicking the ball past the Panthers goaltender, Justin Woodbury. Dennis Forward picked up the assist on the play, taking the Vikings to a 1-0 lead heading into the half.

David Render, a local musician will be the opening act at Traders Ed, a Seafood Pub in Troy on September 20 from 8-11pm. Admission is free.

Render has been playing music since the age of twelve when he started a small soul/rock band called “The Epics”. The band gained a lot of success for the five years they were together, playing many events in their home town of Chicago. Render gained a lot of knowledge about playing the guitar during the time The Epics were together; so much that when the band went their separate ways he continued learning to play.

Crossing many musical genres, Render learned to play a variety of different styles and was greatly influenced by the music of the early 60’s. It was the late 80’s when Render decided to follow his talent and establish himself a dedicated solo career.

Troy Night Out is attempting to reach out to the needier members of the community while bringing the community as a whole together this month.

Held Friday September 26th, 2008 between 5-9pm, Troy Night Out describes itself on its website (troynightout.org) as a “monthly arts and cultural event.” Metroland and Times Union have declared it the Capital District’s “best local arts scene.”

This month, Troy Night Out is hosting a food drive to benefit local food pantries. Participants are encouraged to bring canned goods, non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies, toiletries and other house hold items. Karen Schlesinger, who co-chairs Troy Night Out with Elizabeth Young, told the Hudsonian that they’re doing it because “there has been a lot of need that we’ve learned about in our community.” Donations can be dropped off at numerous places, a list of which may be found on Troy Night Out’s website.

The theatre club will present “And Then There Were None”, a murder mystery based on Agatha Christie’s novel, as well as “Life Under 30”, a story about life’s lessons. According to Theatre Club Advisor Ian LaChance, “turnout [for the auditions] has been really good,” with a show of 30 to 40 people.

The first play of the year will be “And Then There Were None”, based on Dame Agatha Christi’s novel of the same title. Theatre Club Advisor Mat Cantore stated, “Christie is considered one of the classic authors. Her work is appreciated and well respected. It is a very good draw for an audience.”

On September 25, the Maureen Stapleton Theater will be showing the documentary movie “Daughters of Wisdom” at noon. The movie was directed by Manhattan-based director Bari Pearlman and was shot on location in Nangchen. It includes exclusive in-depth interviews with Tibetan nuns as well as a glimpse into their daily lives. “Documentary filmmaker Bari Pearlman has taken her cameras to a harshly beautiful corner of rural Tibet, where an unlikely movement toward female empowerment is taking place,” says Maureen M Hart of the Chicago Tribune.

For the women in rural Tibet, daily life is focused on survival. Tibetan women often do not have enough time to pray or pursue their religion or education because of the twin trials of labor and starvation. They lived in horrible conditions for thousands of years. Additionally, the concept of educating women was considered to be a foolish waste of time and money until recently. Only men had opportunities to advance themselves.