I asked teenagers (aged 15-18), "What’s your favorite food from your country?" Here are the awesome responses I got!
Interpals wall: http://www.interpals.net/LearnTravelArt

Nathan, France, 18
“I'd say patisserie (French dessert) is my favorite food for sure!”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A2tisserie Charlotte, United Kingdom, 16 “I don’t really have a favorite food but if I did have to pick it would be fish and chips I guess.” Mélaine, France, 16 “Hmmm... Ratatouille I think, it reminds me of summer!” Adriana, Poland, 18 “Pierogi(dough dumplings stuffed with a filling such as potato or cheese, typically served with onions or sour cream).  I kind of miss this food every time I'm travelling abroad:)” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierogi Iida, Finland, 16 “Hmmm. Escalloped macaroni is the best in my opinion :)” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratin Kirill, Russia, 16 “Honestly, I like to eat fast food you know McDonalds is my lovely kind of food.”

Mariam, France, 18
“Les macarons==> it's just a pastry but i love it :)” 
Kassandra, Spain, 17
“Hmm probably paella <3”

By: Mackenzie P. 2014
       
      Although the Roman civilization was known for its brutality, violence, and barbaric ways (i.e. gladiators fighting in the Colosseum), it was very progressive/sophisticated for its time period and should also be remembered for its amazing engineering skills, artistic legacies, and contributions to law. One single factor is not enough to be blamed for the decline of this civilization; rather, there are multitudes of competing reasons. I believe the Roman Empire eventually collapsed because of repeated Barbarian invasions, the emperors became less capable, the Roman army was licentious/selfish, and rampant inflation.

Mausoleum of Hadrian, Rome

       To begin, Barbarian invasions became more common as the fifth century drew to a close. Towns were rampaged, loot was carried off, and the Barbarians often times settled in portions of the actual Empire. For example, the Visigoths (who had been pushed farther and farther south from their homeland because of the Huns) entered and sacked Rome in 410 CE. This breach signaled a complete degradation of the Empire; if Rome, the once splendid capital city of Augustus was attacked, then no province or city in the Empire was safe. The city was plundered for three days, and the gothic leader, Alaric, even took Galla Placidia, Emperor Theodosius’ sister, captive. Besides the Visigoths, other barbarian tribes such as the Vandals and Huns overran the Empire. The Vandals eventually moved into North Africa, took control of Carthage, and established a Barbarian kingdom there. Hence, the Empire lost an important agricultural province and its other resources as well. In 455 CE, the Vandals sacked Ostia and Rome again, snuffing out the life and dignity of the cities once and for all.

Temple of Venus and Roma, Rome

Ruins from an ancient Roman fish factory, Barcelona

       Next, the declining quality and intelligence of the Emperors as well as the increasing rapidity with which they were replaced, contributed to the fall of Rome. Along with the ignorant leaders, the bureaucracy (established by Diocletian) was corrupt, bloated, and unpopular with the poor, wealthy, and middle-class alike. Emperors were often times mere puppets for power-hungry military generals. For example, the provincial general Stilicho was pseudo-regent over Honorius, a dim-witted son of Theodosius. Manipulating the idle youth to his advantage, Stilicho wanted to eventually gain control of the Eastern court (c. 395 CE). When comparing the triumphs of well-known emperors such as Trajan, Augustus, or Vespasian with emperors like Majorian, Honorius, or Glycerius (who barely get a mention in history books), it hints at how much the office of leadership had eroded. Additionally, the Emperors were chosen on the whims of the capricious army, which only appointed men (whether they were capable or not) if they promised large sums of money (donatives) to the soldiers.

Pantheon, Rome

Bust of Antoninus Pius, British Museum, London

       Although an army is supposed to protect its nation’s borders and inspire confidence in the citizens, the Roman army profoundly changed during the later years of Rome’s life. Instead of wholesome, jingoistic native Romans fighting to defend their homes, the army was composed mostly of mercenary troops or Germanic barbarians who had no real ties to the Roman Empire. Whether it lived or died, the new troops did not care (they only cared if they got paid handsomely). This created contagious disloyalty, incoherent legions (which allowed more Barbarians to flee into Rome’s borders), and an unstable environment (the barbarians rather follow/fight for their own aims, not Rome’s). In a sense, Rome could no longer raise a national army; it was deduced to paying for outside, unreliable help. Also, the new German soldiers (and hoards of German residences) were not incorporated fully into Roman society. The wealthy elite became prejudice and did not let outsiders wield any real power (i.e. talented generals like Anthemius and Arbogast not being able to rise above the rank of “general”).

Bust of Trajan, British Museum, London

       Finally, the Western Roman Empire fell because of a disastrous economic situation. Because of widespread inflation, the poor became poorer and rich became much wealthier. The poor were also forced to pay the majority of taxes because the rich landowners paid off the tax collectors or found ways to exempt their taxes altogether. Because of the lack of income, the central government essentially ran out of money (which is never good for sustaining a healthy government). The poor, in order to pay off debt/taxes, became indentured servants on the wealthy landowners’ farms (creating tensions between the rich and the poor). As time wore on, the poor began to hate the bureaucracy and the wealthy simply ignored it, forming the grounds of medieval feudalism. Patriotic loyalty as seen in the Republic and early Empire was dead.

Bust of Vespasian, British Museum, London

Roman Floor Mosaic, British Museum, London

Underground Roman ruins, Barcelona

Varanger Peninsula, Norway http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varanger_Peninsula

       The first Ball Drop to celebrate the New Year happened in 1908 in New York City’s Time Square. A firework celebration had been occurring since 1904, but it was too dangerous to continue shooting off primitive fireworks among the line of skyscrapers. As for the history of Times Square, it was first named “Longacre Square”, but the name changed to “Times Square” after the New York Times headquarters (called the “Times Tower”) was moved there. The tower was designed by Eidlitz and McKenzie and was at the intersection of 7th Avenue, Broadway and 42nd Street. The old hopping center of NYC was Trinity Church (near Wall Street), but after the 1904 festivities, it was quickly forgotten. The first actual Ball Drop was in the winter of 1907-1908. The ball was designed by the ArtKraft Strauss Sign Company (so German!) and made of wood, iron, and weighed over 700 pounds! Also, there were 100 cutting edge lights attached to the outside too. The ball was dropped from the mast of the USS New Mexico, an American battleship. Today, the ball is made of 2,688 Waterford Crystals (a crystal manufacturer with its roots in Ireland) and LED light pockets. The ball weighs almost 12,000 pounds and creates over 16 million color combinations when lit fully. It still drops from the Times Tower (or One Times Square Building), which is also a premier location for advertising as well. Interestingly, the “Ball” even has a twitter account with quite a witty sense of humor linked here: https://twitter.com/timessquareball

Krakatau Volcano, Indonesia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krakatoa

Diocletian's Palace at Split, Croatia http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interior_of_Diocletian's_Palace,_Split,_Croatia.JPG

National Gallery, London, England http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_de_Londres

Ruins from the Port of Ostia, near Rome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostia_Antica

So what's the scoop? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avw7xqyfvZ4

       The Colosseum was built from 72-80 CE by the Flavian emperors Vespasian and Titus (hence the “Flavian Amphitheatre”). The building had a statue of Nero called the “Colossus” next to it (where the name “Colosseum” comes from). Nero built the Domus Aurea, a large palatial complex where he carried out despotic and licentious acts. To give the land back to the people, the Flavians built the Colosseum to amuse them. The design is two Greek theaters pushed together to form an oval and there are groin vaulted corridors. The sand floor (called the arena) covered a network of service rooms and tunnels for the animals and gladiators. For its grand opening, Titus had a 100 day inauguration in which 9,000 animals and 2,000 gladiators were killed. There was an awning (velarium) which spread over the Coloseum and shaded the spectators underneath it. The outer wall has successive order of engaged columns (Tuscan, ionic, and Corinthian). The attic (topmost) story also had Corinthian pilasters, cartouches, and small windows. The medium is concrete and rubble mix and the veneer of the edifice is brick facing over concrete. It was built through the treasures won from Titus’ wars in Judea; he captured the Temple of Jerusalem and looted all of its wealth.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colosseum_2007.jpg

Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/artblog/2008/apr/25/throughaglasslightly
http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/music/
http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/about/history/

A New Technological Age

      It’s amazing how a little black box of finite resources defines the average American persona. If you have a cell phone, you instantly feel connected to the rest of the world, and if your phone were to run out of battery or be stolen, you would feel lost and worthless. That is my perception of how Americans, from 7 years old to 87, feel about their cellular devices. I was dining out at Outback yesterday, and I looked up suddenly to see this startling, not altogether positive 21st century image.
      Family members (of diverse background as well) were all tapping away at their little lighted screens or listening to music on those outdated headphones that seem to be making a comeback. No talking, no lively discussion, just isolation in their own little world with a device capable of learning all the worlds’ information in an instant. This saddening image got me wondering—how many Americans have phones and what are they used for? According to Pew Research Center, 91% of American adults in the U.S. use cell phones. So it’s not the stereotypical teenager chewing gum loudly with gauges, a crusty lip piercing, and sickeningly preppy clothes from Hollister—it’s the adult taking care of them. 

Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gateway_Arch_%26_St._Louis_MO_Riverfront_at_Dawn.jpg