The documentary I watched for this assignment called "Pray the Devil Back to Hell". My dad brought the DVD to me from his work at the United States Institute of Peace. It was about Liberian women and their fight for freedom. During the Liberian revolution, it was President Charles Taylor against the warlords and the LURD. They were tired of being raped, seeing their children get raped, seeing their children starve, seeing their children fight, and seeing them die. So they decided to take matters into their own hands. Leymah Gbowee, noble peace prize winner, organized the women at her church to sit out at a protest and get President Taylor to go to peace talks with the warlords. They sat outside in the sun and rain, singing and dancing, for weeks. They made and even bigger impact by joining up with the Muslim women of Liberia as well.
Together, the Muslim and Christian women of Liberia were able to get President Taylor and the Warlords to go to Nigeria for peace talks. It took forever for them to finally agree on something. Taylor was exiled to Nigeria and the UN took over a transitional government with many warlords in high positions of the new government. The women continued to help with the disarmament of the country. Also, once the first democratic elections rolled around, a women was elected to be president. It was the Liberian women who ended the bloody civil war and brought peace to their country. The documentary was their story.
The documentary, though short at only 72 minutes, was perfectly paced. It outlined the bloody war and all the women's struggles. The way it was filmed made the struggle seem very real and upsetting. I would recommend this documentary to everyone, because I really enjoyed watching it.
To touch upon the three aspects of film, I think is kind of difficult with a documentary. The cinematic aspects were very good. The clips were mixed with the women talking now, and older clips of the actual protests and peace talks. The plot was very simple, they just showed the conflict and how it was solved. All the characters were very empowering and made you want to do more good in the world.
Overall, the Documentary was fantastic in my opinion and everyone should watch it. It was very powerful and moving. So go watch "Pray the Devil Back to Hell".
This week for my weekly blog post I decided to share another one of my favorite holiday treats, peppermint bark. My mom used to make us peppermint bark every year to eat on Christmas eve with hot cocoa. However, she stopped the tradition a few years ago and I decided to start it again this year. Peppermint bark is really easy to make and really delicious.
Ingredients:
1 package white chocolate chips
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsps peppermint extract
4 large candy canes
Procedure:
Put the 4 candy canes in a zip-lock bag and wrap a dish towel around it. Use a rolling pin or heavy pan to smash the candy canes to little pieces on a sturdy surface. Then set them aside.
Put the semi-sweet chips into a large microwaveable bowl and put in microwave for 1 minute. Stir the chips and put them in for another minute. Stir until smooth and completely melted. (You can also melt chocolate using a double-boiler, but the microwave is easier). Add 1 tsp of peppermint extract and spread them onto cookie sheet lined with wax paper for a 13x17 rectangle. Place in freezer.
Melt white chocolate in microwave for 30 seconds, then take out and stir, and put back in for another 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted and cooled. Then add 1 tsp of peppermint extract.
Spread the white chocolate over the semi-sweet chocolate and put the candy cane pieces on top. (you may have to press them in to get them to stick). Place it back in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes or until it sets, and enjoy when its done!
So, as you can see, peppermint bark is very easy to make, and its very delicious. Have fun making it and try to get the whole family involved. Younger kids love smashing the candy canes, at least me and my brothers do. Please enjoy!
This year, my mom and I decided to pull a little prank on my brothers. Instead of putting presents in their stockings, we are going to put these delicious lump of coal cookies in there. They are pretty easy to make and very yummy so I decided to share the recipe on my blog.
Ingredients:
3 cups of plain (all purpose) flour
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
1 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp of salt
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease baking sheets.
Cream sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Then add egg and vanilla extract.
Sift the flour and mix it with the butter and sugar mix until a dough forms. Use a gel paste or food coloring to dye the dough until it turns a dark coal-like color.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces and put one half in the fridge.
Break off chunks of dough until you get your desired coal size. Then roll the dough up and put it on a baking tray. Place in freezer while working on second half of dough.
After taking out of the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
Have fun making these cookies and pranking your friends and family with them!
For me, Christmas starts December 1st and lasts through the New Year.
So, naturally, my family started decorating last night. Now, my family
takes Christmas decorating to the extreme.We have 36 nutcrackers of all different sizes and shapes, and around the same number of small, decorative, glass (and other materials), Christmas trees. To top that off, we also have way too many ornaments to fit on a Christmas tree, even a really big one. We have garlands, tinsel, wreaths, and a little Christmas village. Christmas time is just the most wonderful time of the year!
