- Harry Karstens
Denali National Park Ranger

This is the second QIB, or Quote Inspired Blog. For the last two weeks of my summer vacation, I spent time touring the southeastern coast of Alaska with my family. We spent the first night in Anchorage, and moved around the Kenai Pensula, staying in various towns and lodges and going to Talkeetna. We ended the trip with a week stay in the (very) remote back country lodge in the heart of Denali National Park.

I have been to many national parks before, but this park was something quite different. Although, I admit, that it wasn’t the most esthetic part (at least this was my first impression), there was something specular about it. Note – only later did I really see Mount McKinley (Denali), the “Great One”; the largest peak in North America. Now, that was awe-inspiring!

Anyway, this quote (above) was written on the wall of the visitor center. I felt that it was such an eloquent way to say how people can learn so much from the environment and vast wilderness that surrounds us.
I was reminded how small I am. Being in millions of acres of wide open wilderness. It makes you think again who (and what) walks this earth. And when I say what, I also mean the many animals (big and small) that resided within the park and outside. We were especially wary of the bears (black and brown) as well as the moose (even more dangerous than the bears!).

Listening to the culture; it is fascinating to think about the native tribes that lived all over Alaska for thousands of years. The history is still alive too! Unlike many of the other native cultures that have more or less been suppressed in the rest of the states, it seems that Alaska (in it’s founding and creation) managed to have at least better relations with the natives and now in modern times, the tribes (twelve strong, with one for all the minor unrepresented ones) have a word in all legislation and state government. Even the peoples of Alaska (non-native) seem more apt to native culture and customs. The last hundred years of history of Alaska, I think are some of the most rich and interesting than many other states in America.

I shall hopefully post some photos of my trip when I finally get the chance to organize them! I have been very busy over the summer, so no posts. But, on another note, I shall be leaving tomorrow for college! I can’t wait! All very exciting, though stressful.

What now? On to college.
It’s so strange, sad, exciting, bittersweet. You move on, meet new people, get to experience new things. It’s change.
I started packing my room up for college already. It’s hard to decide what to take, what to leave. I will be missing so many things. My dogs in particular! My mom’s home cooking. My old friends. Having my room to myself. My room. My house.

I wrote in so many people’s yearbooks. Many people write, ‘Have a great summer. Hope you are successful wherever life takes you…blah, blah blah…’ I wrote in a lot of my friend’s books. People who just right corny, generic statements write that. A lot of other people though write really memorable of funny, personal things. A couple of my friends wrote entire pages!
Friendships, relationships change over time. You find out who are really your true friends. The ones that make time in their busy lives to spend it with you. When it comes down to it it’s not the number of friends you have; most people are lucky of they have one solid friend in their entire life. I count myself lucky. I have two.

Most people earlier in the year asked, when they met me, “So Cara, where will you be going next year?” Thankfully I have that part figured out! Now though, it’s “Oh, what will you be specializing in? What will your major be? Do you know what you want to do for the rest of your life?” Like Hell I know!!! I have no clue what I want to study (hopefully I will find that all out). It’s just so…intimidating? It’s confusing, because so many people say that you don’t need to worry right now; that you have plenty of time! While others say that the earlier you know, the better. Hey, I guess it is a step in the right direction. I guess for me, it will all eventually fall in place. I just have so many interests and things that I might want to study! I have time.

I have moved on to something new. Bring on the change.

So, usually I don’t ask questions, but I would like to know what you think:
1. Where are you in school? College? High School? School is for losers?
2. If you’re in high school, are you excited about college? What do you aspire to do?
3. If you’re in college, is it everything you wanted or expected? What are you studying?
4. Do you know what you want to do? What profession you might have interest in? Why?

So I’m a little busy right now. Sorry guys. I will get to registering domains and catching up on website stuff in a little while. School work has just backed up. Seems my teachers intend on working us to death until the last day of school.

I am happy to announce the end of the first domain contest hosted here on EverImagine.net!!!

The contest came to a close at June 1st, with a handful of awesome winners. I must say though that a close runner up was Karen, and it wasn’t until the last week that Aashni pulled ahead. Congratulations to all the winners! I would like to thank everyone for participating. Check back for more contests in the future!

1st Place: Chelsey

2nd Place: Cami

Honor Mention: Aashni

Random: Emily

Prizes:

All prizes must be claimed within one week of the email being sent, or the prizes are forfeited. All winners please check your emails for more details.¹
All donors, you may advertise the winners on your websites. Thank you, all, for your generous prize donations!

1st Place:

• One .COM, .ORG, .NET, or equivalent domain
• Hosting Package from Carousel Hosting
• 3 months of advertising on EverImagine.net
• 3 months of advertising on White Little Factory.com
• 3 months of advertising on StarStruck
• 1 month of advertising on EnchantMeNot.info
• 1 month of advertising on ThreeLittleDancers.co.cc
• 1 month of advertising on Color of the Rain
• 1 month of advertising on Autumn Haze
• 1 month of advertising on Rewinded Memories
• 1 month of advertising on Ribbon Hood

2nd Place:

• One .INFO domain
• Hosting Package from Carousel Hosting
• 2 months of advertising on EverImagine.net
• 2 months of advertising on White Little Factory.com
• 3 months of advertising on StarStruck
• 1 month of advertising on EnchantMeNot.info
• 1 month of advertising on ThreeLittleDancers.co.cc
• 1 month of advertising on Color of the Rain
• 1 month of advertising on Autumn Haze
• 1 month of advertising on Rewinded Memories
• 1 month of advertising on Ribbon Hood

Honorable Mention:

• 1 month of advertising on EverImagine.net
• 1 month of advertising on White Little Factory.com
• 3 months of advertising on StarStruck
• 1 month of advertising on EnchantMeNot.info
• 1 month of advertising on ThreeLittleDancers.co.cc
• 1 month of advertising on Color of the Rain
• 1 month of advertising on Autumn Haze
• 1 month of advertising on Rewinded Memories
• 1 month of advertising on Ribbon Hood

Random:

• One One .INFO domain
• Hosting Package from Carousel Hosting
• 1 month of advertising on EverImagine.net
• 3 months of advertising on StarStruck
• 1 month of advertising on EnchantMeNot.info
• 1 month of advertising on ThreeLittleDancers.co.cc
• 1 month of advertising on Color of the Rain
• 1 month of advertising on Autumn Haze
• 1 month of advertising on Rewinded Memories
• 1 month of advertising on Ribbon Hood

Better Safe Than Sorry

I see myself as a responsible, young driver. And I have only been in two auto accidents, but in my defense, neither of them were my fault, and to prove it, my insurance rate didn’t even flinch. The people who hit me paid for all the damages in full, which was great (my poor car!)
Anyway, last week, I was on my way to my violin lesson, so I was speeding down my street (my teacher is all about punctuality). At the end of my street is an elementary school. I made a mental note that the time was 3:30 and the school had just finished and gotten out. There would be lots of little kids running around so I should slow down and be more cautious. That I would rather be late, then to hit someone.
All this passed through my mind in a split second.

Probably two seconds after I thought this and eased on the break to slow down, two little kids, brother and sister, dart out in front of my car. I saw the scene unfolding, as if things were moving so slowly, as adrenaline was dumped into my veins. The brother wanted to cross the street to their mother’s car parked on the other side. He took his sister’s hand and pulled her after him, laughing.
The mother was standing right besides them, talking to another mother. She turned and screamed. The two kids turned and saw my car for the first time, heading right towards them.

It is amazing how fast the human brain works and that you can react with only a second to spare (literally).
In that tiny expanse of time after I told myself to slow down, all that happened, and I took it all in. I slammed on the breaks as soon as I saw them step into the street, just as the mother screamed. My car stopped probably only five feet away from those children.
The mother ran out into the street and hugged both of them, practically in tears, scolding them at the same time. She nodded thanks to me, and I knew that she meant it with all her heart.

My heart was racing, and it didn’t slow until I stepped out of the car with my violin. Even then, my hands shook. What if I had been a moment too late? My life, that mother’s life, those children’s lives would have been changed forever. What if I hadn’t stopped in time? What if I hadn’t the thought to slow down and not speed? I wouldn’t have stopped in time. I would be devastated if I had hit, let alone, killed two little children. (At the speed I had been originally going, about 35 mph, I probably would have killed them had I not slowed and had I hit them full on). These thoughts raced through my head, and even now I am scared by the idea of what could have happened.

I have a cousin, Kevin, who was hit when he was three, by an 18 year old driver, racing down the street. I know personally how it can change that family’s life forever. My cousin ran into the street after the ball he was playing with rolled down the driveway. My uncle, weeding the garden couldn’t react in time. It all happened in a second.
To this day, he remains severely retarded, although a he is a wonderful person and is loved by everyone. He has a great personality and a fun sense of humor in how own way, but he will never be normal. At 26 now, he will never get a real girlfriend, never get married, never have kids, never be independent. Never have what any normal person has. Just because of what happened in a blink of an eye.

John Steinbeck
Grapes of Wrath
Chapter 14, p.156-157

This is the first installment of what I will henceforth call a QIB (quote inspired blog). This is a rather a long quote, so I apologize, but this one of my all time favorite literary quotes. (Please read it though, or else the rest of this will have little relevance). It is from one of the most famous American authors, John Steinbeck who wrote Grapes of Wrath. This famous novel follows the journey of a rural family during the great dust bowl and Great Depression era of the 1920s-1930s and the plight of the migrant workers.

I find this quote a real thought-inducer, and very deep. I took out one of my favorite parts for the title: “Fear the time when the bombs stop falling.” It really is not what post people would expect. Although I do not entirely agree (I’m not sure what I do agree with, but it is so mind boggling).

Humans are blessed with a free will, the ability to think, to love, to rebel. What are we if we do not live and stand up for our beliefs? Although many hope to live peaceful uninterrupted lives, we should fear the point when the fighting stops, where there is no conflict going on in the world. It is the sign of the death of human spirit.
It is human spirit; nature that lives in every one of us. From the smallest notions of rebellion (not just violence) to the vehement feelings of righteousness, we are creatures with both abilities to love and to hate. It is when we settle for what life gives us and fall into stagnant lives that is the biggest crime.

Joshua Bell in the Metro

Recently I was re-reading an article, ¹ published by The Washington Post for the Sunday newspaper, April 8, 2007 . It was a on a social experiment set in Washington D.C, where the world-famous violin virtuoso, Joshua Bell preformed (dressed as a common street artist) and played before morning rush hour walking traffic.

The results are astounding.

Passionista, Joshua Bell

Joshua Bell is said to be America’s best concert violinist, and one of the leading international musical stars, having preformed before heads of state, royalty, and presidents, playing in the world’s best concert halls. He is a musical prodigy, young and energetic (I have seen him in concert). The passion and emotion that he evokes in his music is jaw-dropping. His violin, a masterpiece in itself, is the famous Stradivari violin (the price tag was reported to be about $3.5 million). He played for one hour in the metro. Do you know what happened?

In that hour, over a thousand commuters rushed by, not seeing or hearing anything. Many threw money in as they walked by, not pausing, others stopped for a second before moving on, the memory leaving as quickly as it came. During that hour, Bell earned a little more than $30. That following week he played at the concert hall, where mediocre seats were only $100, and there was a full house. He preformed some of the most difficult music in classical repertoire: Bach’s Chaconne (see original sheet music) ², and was thrown only a few bucks (if that; some gave pennies).

(There was a hidden camera. It is sped up in some parts)

When the article was published, critics and the general public alike were floored. That had been THE Joshua Bell? Many people were interviewed for a follow-up article. They had had no clue that had been Joshua Bell. It was just amazing. One man even said that he went to the concert and had passed Bell without even a second glance.

I recommend you read the article for a full feel of what happened. This is only a small summary.

Some social experiment. Take a second when you are rushing through the world without really seeing or hearing. Take a second to draw things in. There is no point in living if you never really live.

The night before, my friend and I were talking on Skype. I was upset about something and he made the comment,” Well you should be happy, because Osama is dead.” I laughed and said something along the lines of, “Yea, he’ll be caught when pigs fly.” He didn’t correct me. O_o I had been busy and hadn’t listened or watched the news since Friday.
Little did I know that it was all true!

I am still amazed. The mastermind behind the terrorist plot and September 11th. I remember where I was exactly when the Twin Towers fell.
I was 7 years old at the time. Third grade. I must have been playing or doing something, because I remember the teacher net door running into our classroom and telling our teacher to turn on the television.

September 11th, 2011 – The Twin Towers

We all turned to watch, not really understanding. The live video of the first Tower on fire. We watched, unable to look away as suddenly a second tower was ablaze as another plane crashed into it. I can’t remember too vividly what happened after. Only that my teacher was in distress, and looked to calm us. None of us were crying. We couldn’t understand in that moment the enormity of what had happened.

It didn’t hit me really until I got home. I think we all got to go home early; something I was excited and confused about. Both of my parents had rushed home from work and were calling the rest of my family down in New York City. Or anyone else traveling that day. We had that worry. Were they on that plane? Was everyone ok? Thankfully no one close to me was hurt or killed. The television was on late into the night, as it probably was in every home across the country. The news buzzed on about the attack against the United States and how the public enemy No.1 was now Osama bin Laden.

That man is finally dead. Do you celebrate?
I am happy. So happy, but worried. His death is not a “Cure All”, some miracle that will stop this war, all wars. He was only a leader for a sick twisted cause that shouldn’t even deserve to called ‘Islam’. There are others. What about a counter-attack? Revenge? It is the first step into a new chapter. This war is not over, unfortunately. Many lives will still be lost in the fight against terror. And terror it is.
Part of me is angry and wishes that his body should have been put through a meat grinder and desecrated. That he doesn’t even deserve a “proper” burial for all the people he has slaughtered and incinerated. The other half of me says that what was done was right. What do you say?

I travel. I love it. I have been across the globe and back, and wow have things changed. It used to be that you could walk right up to the boarding gate and not worry. Now they won’t let you within a hundred yards of an airplane without passing security. You are passed through scanners, chemical “sniffers” and analyses, and full body x-rays. And this is all supposed to make me feel safe? I brought nail clippers and tweezers in my carry-on bag over Christmas, forgetting that those items are not allowed. Hmm, what am I going to do, tweeze someone to death? Don’t get me started. Perhaps another day, I will blog about airport and homeland security, but today is only about being relieved that another powerful, evil many is off the face of the planet.
Take care, every one of you.

In the meantime, feel free to follow me. I just got a Twitter!

Remember the Fallen, Made in memory of all those who have lost their lives

I wanted to post something new since my last two posts: Niños Tontos and Young Blood, Old War were quite depressing and deep, about a child’s naivety and the horrors of war with innocence being destroyed in the making of child soldiers.

Let me start by saying that I appreciate good writing. Although I was not thrilled by books at an early age (in fact I loathed the very idea of reading), but have long since become an avid reader, based in fantasy (although I have started branching off into other genres; I will get to why later on).

Twilight was first published in 2005. I was 12 at the time, and blooming reader/writer, and deep into my fantasy fanaticism. I saw Twilight at the back of my school’s annual book order under ‘Recently Published’. It looked interesting and I always loved dark fantasy and vampires (something that had set me apart from many people). I found that this was one of the books that needed a book cover, because many times, when asked what it was about, I would say “vampires” and the person would make a face and walk away. Who knew that within a few years this book would sweep the world in a vampire craze phenomenon?

For all your critics out there, I have to say that Twilight is a wonderful book. I say this in my own right as a reader. I respect good writing, something that I say with admiration, Stephenie Meyer has. She has strong imagery, superb characterization and an ability that all authors envy: the power to get into the reader’s head so that even though the characters, setting and situation may be so remotely separated from the reader in reality, they feel right at home. That is one reason why I believe Stephenie Meyer has managed to capture the minds and hearts of so many people from so many ages. (Although you may not enjoy her Twilight Saga, this is shown in her other adult novel, The Host, which remains on my Top 10 favorite books).
I admit that many criticize her writing style. It is different, but for me this is a pleasant change. Throughout the series, her writing continues to impress me. You may or may not agree with the plot of the book, and I do have some scruples myself, but she finishes up as well as any other author could without ruining it beyond belief (I have seen many awesome book fall to shambles by the destruction of a plot. Such a pity!). I shall not go into the plot and how good or bad it is or what issues there are. You can never please every one with what you do, so you should strive to please yourself. Stephenie Meyer has done this and obviously has pleased many people. So to all who hate on Meyer, unless you have a good reason or opinion to bash her writings, I think you should keep your opinion yourself.

As a well-read and experienced reader in fantasy and vampire fiction, I must say the idea of “vampire and human in love” is an old one. Too many times it is overused and not even executed well. This can be applied to any fantasy plot of “human and ‘other’”. The whole ‘Forbidden Love’ concept that when used right can be enthralling, but when used wrong, can lead to disaster. I have read it countless times, so I can say without a doubt that it is not this baseline plot of a vampire and a human in love that makes the book so appealing, but her writing.
Going on about the concepts in the novel, the whole “vampire sparkles”, which was surprising, fit well into the setting and biology of the Twilight world. Read any large array of vampire fiction and you will see that these outliers are what makes a book unique as well as interesting (see Peeps and The Vampire Chronicles in the book list below)

The AFTERMATH.
Following this massive Twilight craze, there has been (or is it just me) an increasing number of bad young adult fantasy literature being put on the shelves. In a feeble attempt to keep up with Twilight and to fill the vacuum that it has created and to fulfill the demand for vampire or other related fantasy, publishers throw any old book up there. I walk into Borders (which actually, if you didn’t know has filed for bankruptcy) and or Barns and Noble, and what do I see on the shelves, but stockpiled books of lame fantasy. Where has the good literature vanished to? It has been pushed to the bottom, unnoticeable shelf, or even worse no longer has the honored position to sit at the front of the store.

In an attempt to wash the bad taste from my mouth, I have taken a hiatus from my usual fantasy and turned down other avenues. Over the past year I have begun to read historical fiction (I am picky, but there are amazing books out there!), different mystery or adventure adult literature, as well as delving back into the great classics such as Last of the Mohicans, The Count of Monte Cristo, Moby Dick, and an all time favorite The Call of the Wild.

If you, like me are in this position, here is a mini-book list of my recommendations of some MUST READ books. These are some of my ultimate favorites and are also a refreshing breath of air along the literature avenue.
This is just a small list of titles and authors that I have pulled together off dusty shelves, as well as an attempt to highlight the good modern, young adult fantasy/science fiction in the midst of all the bad.

• The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
• His Dark Materials Trilogy,Philip Pullman
• The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis
• The Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien
• The Gemma Doyle Trilogy, Libba Bray
• Inkheart Trilogy, The Thief Lord Cornelia Funke
• The Hunger Game Trilogy, Suzanne Collins
• The Chronicles of Faerie, O.R. Melling
• The Uglies Series, The Midnighters Trilogy Scott Westerfeld
• Peeps and Last Days Scott Westerfeld
• The Song of the Lioness Quartet, The Immortals Quartet, Tamora Pierce
• Vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carie Ryan
• The Sword of Truth Series, Terry Goodkind

Update: I have finally reopened my Website Reviews.

Los Niños Tontos
by Ana María Matute

We have been reading short stories in Spanish class from the book, Los Niños Tontos, by a famous Spanish author, Ana María Matute, which is one of her more well known and popular works. This collection of short stories about “stupid” children (as the title translates). One of my favorite short stories is Polvo de Carbón (Coal Dust). Similar to the rest of the (extremely) short stories, this particular story highlights with poetic imagery, the foolishness or naivety of a young child and disaster that can come of it. A heart-wrenching, punch in the stomach.
This is the story:

The girl had charcoal black powder on her forehead, hands and inside her mouth. She stuck her tongue out to see it reflected in a shard of mirror that hung on the latch of the window, watching the palate at the back of her mouth; it seemed a little burnt chapel. The girl opened the faucet which always rattled, even if it was closed; there was a slight pearl. The water came out strong, like a thousand crystals cascading against the stone pile. The girl opened the faucet on the days when the sun shone and the water, for the water trickled down into the stone basin. One night, she woke up because she heard the moon touching the window. She jumped up abruptly from the mattress and went to the stone basin, which often reflected back the black faces of charcoal. All heaven and the earth were full and dark, smeared with black dust that seeped under doors, through the cracks of the windows, that killed the birds, getting into their silly mouths that opened like burnt chapels. The girl looked at the moon with great envy. “If I could reach the moon, ” she thought. “If I could wash my face with the moon, and teeth, and eyes.” The girl opened the tap and, as the water rose, the moon sunk down, down, to duck inside. Then the girl did the same. Tightly hugging the moon, she clung, the morning saw the girl at the bottom of the tub.

Original Spanish Text:
La niña de la carbonería tenía polvo negro en la frente, en las manos y dentro de la boca. Sacaba la lengua al trozo de espejo que colgó en el pestillo de la ventana, se miraba el paladar, y le parecía una capillita ahumada. La niña de la carbonería abría el grifo que siempre tintineaba, aunque estuviera cerrado, con una perlita tenue. El agua salía fuerte, como chascada en mil cristales contra la pila de piedra. La niña de la carbonería abría el grifo del agua los días que entraba el sol, para que el agua brillara, para que el agua se triplicase en la piedra y en el trocito de espejo. Una noche, la niña de la carbonería despertó porque oyó a la luna rozando la ventana. Saltó precipitadamente del colchón y fue a la pila, donde a menudo se reflejaban las caras negras de los carboneros. Todo el cielo y toda la tierra estaban llenos, embadurnados del polvo negro que se filtra por debajo de las puertas, por los resquicios de las ventanas, mata a los pájaros y entra en las bocas tontas que se abren como capillitas ahumadas. La niña de la carbonería miró a la luna con gran envidia. “Si yo pudiera meter las manos en la luna”, pensó. “Si yo pudiera lavarme la cara con la luna, y los dientes, y los ojos.” La niña abrió el grifo y, a medida que el agua subía, la luna bajaba, bajaba, hasta chapuzarse dentro. Entonces la niña la imitó. Estrechamente abrazada a la luna, la madrugada vio a la niña en el fondo de la tina.

There may be some “weird” spots in my translation; it is not a direct translation, and much of the story is very “poetic” so that even in Spanish it is hard to understand. So I apologize beforehand if the translation is not perfect. I have been studying Spanish for almost six or so years, as English is my first language. My teacher had us, as a small mini project, create an image of one of the scenes from some of the many short stories we had read in Los Niños Tontos. We had to do it on printer size and could use traditional markers, colored pencils, paint, or graphic design and Photoshop. We could even just find clip art (for the less “artistically talented”). I choose the latter. I sort of just threw some images together.

Polvo de Carbón

It is a sad story, I must say. Although the text doesn’t directly say what happened, one can infer that the little girl drowned because she wanted to hug the pristine, white moon. She yearned to be clean; something that could never be, because of where she lived: in a coal yard. So short, but so strong.

War has existed for as long as man has had free will.

What has humanity come to?

War has become increasing devastating in this modern era, from the catastrophic weapons and nuclear damage which continues to hover on the horizon; but there is another growing weapon that has for the most part, been overlooked. This is the use of child soldiers.

Recently I finished re-reading the book, A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah. It tells the story of the author’s life as a child soldier. A compelling memoir of tragedy, shocking brutality and hope. Beah writes of his life in Sierra Leone in Africa, and how as a young boy, he was torn apart from his family and forced to fight. He lives now in the United States after escaping the conflict in his country. Even after finishing the book for a second time, I find myself moved deeply by the plight of the children. I can’t imagine any of it happening to me and how I could get through it. Imagine yourself forced from your home at a young age, perhaps only 10 or 12 years old, having your mother and sister violently raped before you are forced to kill your entire family. You are then taken away from your burning village to learn how to slaughter, maim and bring about the destruction of another life.

One of many

You are given drugs and a gun and told to shoot those who run towards you without ever having any military experience as other soldiers, intent on spilling your blood charge towards you. If you flee you die. If you stay you might very well die. So you take aim and fire.

It is warfare waged by the young; do you ever remember a child starting a war? The word, “child” and “soldier” should never be put together. No child should ever have to wield a gun and fight, never having known what it was like to play or to have real friends. They live in fear and in a life of violence, sex and drugs, fighting a battle that was never theirs to fight. Stated as “an illegal and morally reprehensible practice” by UNICEF, this use of children as combatants still continues. It is an issue that many people are either unaware of or ignorant to. Did you know about this?

Some Quick Facts:

• There are an estimated An estimated 300,000 or more child soldiers are actively fighting in at least 80 countries around the world
• Millions more, unaccounted for, fight in fight in a state of undeclared war or genocide
• It is estimated that 43% of all armed organizations in the world use child soldiers, 90 % of whom are on the front lines.
• In the last decade, more than 2 million children have been killed in combat (about 500 per day)
• Many rebel groups use child soldiers to fight the government, but some governments also use child soldiers in armed conflict.
• As part of their recruitment, children are sometimes forced to kill or maim a family member – thus breaking the bonds with their community and making it difficult for them to return home.
• Not all children take part in active combat. Some are also used as porters, cooks and spies.
• Girls are often used as wives and sex slaves for the male combatants.
• Whilst most child soldiers are abducted or conscripted into the fighting forces, some also volunteer or are volunteered by their parents.
• It is estimated that 40% of all child soldiers are girls. They are often used as ‘wives’ – i.e. sex slaves.

Hitler Youth Promotional Poster

Beah’s story is only one of many other child soldiers fighting in conflicts, and wars around the world today. There is so much violence; something that many people have if not accepted this disheartening fact, at least have come to acknowledge that it is a truth. It goes even as far back to World War II and the Für, Adolf Hitler. Hitler knew that it to make a new country with a new mindset, you not only had to change the vision of the people, but capture the minds and spirit of the children. In this, Hitler created what was to become known as the Hitler Youth. Children were loyal only to Hitler and the cause, many even going as far as to turn their own parents over to the law if they heard their parents talking against Hitler.
A few years ago, I did an extensive research paper on the Hitler Youth, a topic that I personally wasn’t very aware of even from history class until that point (a very fascinating topic if you are interested). The United Nations swore against the use of children in such a way, but to this day, similar things are happening all over the world.

Further Information on Child Soldiers:

• Invisible Children
• Child Soldiers
• Right to Play
• War Child
• UNICEF – Child Soldiers
• IRIN News Report Article (recommended read)

A Bullet for Your Thoughts
[click to see more images]