Judaism.

    Judaism is one of the oldest religions existing today.  It began as the religion of the small nation of the Hebrews.  Today, 14 million people follow this religion.  The Jewish people believe in one God, although monotheism was uncommon.  They studied the Torah which was "the Law", and they lived by it.  In Synagogues, which were places of worships, there would be a Rabbi teaching the Torah.  Although some believe in afterlife, other Jews only believe in the 13 Articles of Faith. 
     Major religious holidays for Jews include Passover, Rosh Hashanah,  and Yom Kippur. Also, Hanukkah is celebrated, in this religion. Hanukkah is a type of Christmas, somewhat.  Hanukkah is an eight day celebration, in which you receive gifts on each of the days.  It commemorates the re dedication of the Holy Temple in  Jerusalem. They have many other celebrations as well, such as Bar Mitzvahs, which is the ceremony in which a boy becomes a man.
     The Sabbath is their day of worship, and it is on every Saturday.  It is simply a day of rest and worship at the synagogue.  In Judaism, all days begin at sunset, so every holiday will be begin at sundown as well as end at sundown.
    

WAC : Roman Emperor.

     I, Lucius Septimius Severus Augustus, was born in Leptis Magna, in the province of Africa on the eleventh of April, in 145.  I was the new born son of Publius Septimius Geta and Fulvia Pia.  I was born into a family of great wealth, and equestrian rank.  I was Italian, on my mother's side, and Punic on my father's.  My only siblings were an older brother, Publius Septimius Geta, and a younger sister, Septima Octavilla.
    My reign began on April 14th, of 193.  It lasted until the 4th of February of 211.  I became emperor, due to the assasination of Pertinax.  On the day of his assasination, my troops declared me as emperor at Carnuntum.  I took the position of Rome, without any opposition.  Immediately after taking throne, I executed Pertinax's murderers.  I then replaced the Praetorian Guard, with my own troops.  I believed them to be more trusted, than the others.
     I moved to the East, and crushed Niger's forces in the Battle of Issus.  The following year was devoted to destroying Mesopotamia and other Parthian vassals who had backed Niger.  Once all was destroyed, I had control of Niger's lands. I then declared my son, Caracalla, as successor.  After a short stay in Rome, I moved northward to meet Albinus and his troops, in Gallia. 
     On February 19, 197 in the Battle of Lugdunum, with an army composed of about 75,000 men, I defeated and killed Clodius Albinus.  I took full control over the empire.  Afterwards, I departed Rome and traveled to the east by sea.  The following year, I held an even more successful campaign against the Parthian empire.  I never had good relaionships with the higher authorities, such as the Roman Senate.  Although I didn't have that advantage, I still was, for the most part, successful in my battles. 
     At my time of marriage, I was in my thirties.  I married a woman from my hometown, by the name of Paccia Marciana.  Our marriage did indeed last for more than ten years, but we never chose to have any children together.  Marciana then died in 186.  Although I was heartbroken, I was eager to remarry, due to the fact that I was now in my forties and still childless.  I met a new woman, Julia Domna, and in 187, I proposed to her.  We married the following summer, and I was truly in love.  We had two sons together, Lucius Septimus Bassianius and Publius Septimus Geta.

(Bust of Severus)

Chirstmas Blog facts :

Eric David : Ecuador
1.) Holds the biggest and best beauty pagent in Ecuador.
2.) Put two large dolls underneath the trees.
3.) Children await their visit from Papa Noel.

Tyler Brady : Egypt
1.) Christmas in celebrated on the 7th of January in Egypt.
2.) Churches and Christian homes are decorated with Christmas lights, mangers, and trees.
3.) When the Christmas service ends, people go home to eat a family meal lknown as fata.

Dylan Harris : Russia
1.) Christmas is celebrated on January 7th.
2.) Thanks to the Russian Orthodox Church, it has become an official holiday.
3.) Previously, it was celebrated on December 25th.

Kristen Strawder : China
1.) It isn't a major holiday.
2.) Only one percent of China's population is Christian, so not many celebrate it.
3.) Have a celebration called, Ta Chiu.

Taylor Talbott : Fiji
1.) Decorate homes and stores, in various colored Christmas lights.
2.) Have plays, and theatres.
3.) Place baby dolls of Jesus under Christmas tree.

Haley Truman : India
1.) Use decorations made of mangos and bananas.
2.) Two hour ceremony at all churches.
3.) Belive in Kalikantzaroi, who is said to steal kids' gifts.

Amber Ware : Russia
1.) Religous Festival, instead of Christmas.
2.) People fast during this time.
3.) Special prayers are said.

Madori Elmore :  Japan
1.) Introduced by Europeans.
2.) Cook special meals, and decorate homes.
3.) Traditional Japanese food is a cake.

Shania Pennington : France
1.) Place shoes in front of the fireplace.
2.) Celebrated the 24th of December.
3.) The Sapen de Noel is the main decoration.

Krista Robinson : Morocco
1.) Instead of Christmas, they celebrate Ramadan.
2.) Usually Ramamdan  is celebrated fri an entire month.
3.) During this holiday, everyone is expected to deprive themselves of food, drink, and other pleasures.
Samantha Mason : Madagascar
1.) Even though its hot, holly, robins ,and snow.
2.) Most people visit churches on Christmas eve.
3.) After the service, the church gives out treats to the families.

Katara Pennington : Peru
1.) Family get togethers, and feast on turkey.
2.) Presents brought by Santa Clause.
3.) Celebrated as Noche Buena on December 24th.

Paige Bibey : Canada
1.) Carols brought from Brittain are sung each morning.
2.) Canadians also celebrate with cards, carols, Christmas trees, lights, and decoractions.
3.) Nativity scenes are in home.

Raychel Fitzwater : Germany
1.) Hang shoes or boots, on the fireplce.
2.) If children aren't good, they're brought tiwgs.
3.) There's no junk food.

You are cordially invited to Claudia Wildman’s Ancient Roman Dinner Party…

Location ; Claudia’s home

Date ; December 1, 2011

Time ; 3:00pm.

Theme ; Ancient Rome

It is requested that you wear proper Roman attire, such as (tunics… togas.. etc.)

Guests :

Aemilia K. Pennington

Paula S. Pennington

Balbina Cline

Servius Stuart

Publius Poling

Spartacus Scott

Octavia Gregg

Albina Truman

Trtia Smallwood

Bernice Fitzwater

courses..

course one –

          The first course will consist of a simple, yet delectable lettuce-based Roman salad, topped with fresh almonds, olives, and cucumbers. It will also be served with a side of vinegar-based dressing.

course two –

          As a second appetizer, you will be served stuffed oysters, seasoned with perfectly ground pepper. A side of cooked parsnips will also be served along with this appetizer.

course three –

          Next, a thick, yet rich onion flavored chowder will be served to you. This course will come with a variety of delicious cheeses, in which you can select to add to your chowder.

course four –

          For the main course, you will be served a scrumptious lobster dinner, seasoned with garlic, and topped with flakes of parsley. This dish will be accompanied by a side of broccoli and beans.

course five –

          As for the second main dish, you will be served a freshly caught Flounder, seasoned with salt and topped with parsley flakes. A thin slice of soft, white bread will accompany your poultry. You will also have the choice of a garlic seasoning.

course six –

          For dessert, you will receive stuffed dates, served with the sweetest and freshest fruits available mixed in a honey syrup.

course seven-

          For the final dessert dish, you will be served a delicious honey-soaked cake, topped with diced pomegranates, and almonds roasted to perfection.

Education in Italy.

Education in Italy is required from age six, to sixteen and is divided into five stages: kindergarten (scuola dell'infanzia), primary school (scuola primaria), lower secondary school  (scuola secondaria di primo grado), upper secondary school (scuola secondaria di secondo grado), and university (università). Italy also has both private, and public school systems.  

     There are three years of kindergarten, or nursery school, although they are non-compulsory. Then, primary school contains five years. Until middle school, each student is given the same curriculum. All subjects are studied the same. All students receive a basic education Italian, English, Mathematics, Biology, Geology, History, Geography, Social Studies, Physical Education, and Visual and Musical Arts.

     Secondary education has two stages: a lower stage and an upper stage. The lower stage corresponds to middle school, and the upper stage corresponds to high school. After the upper secondary school is completed, and you pass the final exam (Esame di Maturità) you will earn your diploma for further education.

     Their education system is very similar to that of the United States’. Their primary school, which would be our elementary school, contains five years just like the United States’. The lower secondary school consists of three years, usually from age eleven to thirteen, which is the same in the US. At the end of the third year, the students take an exam to further their education. Unlike the US, Italy’s upper secondary school, which is like our high school, consists of five years. The United States’ consists of only four years. 

This is a photoograph of a high school, located in Florence, Italy.

                                 

Christmas in Italy ; Italian Pizzelle

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup margarine
• 2 tbsp Vanilla or Anise (you choose your favorite)
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 4 tsp baking powder

Directions

• Melt margarine & cool
• Beat eggs
• Add sugar, margarine, and vanilla
• Sift flour and baking powder and add to mix
• Use 1 tbsp dough for each pizzelle
• Bake 30-45 seconds in Pizzelle machine
• Sprinkle with confectioners sugar
Makes 6-8 dozen

Variations

• Chocolate: Add 1/2 cup cocoa, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder to mix

Italian Chrstmas...

1. Christmas in Italy is celebrated from December 24th - January 6th.

2. It follows a winter solstice festival known as Saturnalia, which begins on December 8th.

3. In Italy, presents are brought by La Befana, who arrives in the night to fill children's stockings.

4. Lights, and trees, and decorations have not been popular until recently.

5. Traditionally, a meatless dinner is eaten on Christmas Eve, with your family.

Expenses.

(Estimates)
Flight from Pittsburgh to Rome : about $1,700.
Hotels : about $2,500.
Food, and Dining Out : about $800.
Luxuries, and Leisure Activities : about $1,000.
Flight from Milan to Pittsburgh : about $1,900.


Total expenses were about $7,900. Which isn't bad, considering I was trying keep a limit of 10,000. I was at different hotels every night, and dined out every evening which was the center of most of my expenses.

Map of My Trip.

From Rome, to Naples, to Florence, to Bologna, to Venice, to Trento, and finally to Milan.

DAY SEVEN : June 24, 2011.

       We were at our last destination - Milan, Italy. We were in the Hotel Spadari al Duomo, and it was early morning when everyone woke up. We decided to make this day the most special. We all went to a cafe for breakfast, located near our hotel. Our plans for today were to first, go see the Cathedral. It took over 500 years to build the structure. Also, it is the four largest cathedral in Europe, and the second largest Catholic cathedral in the world. Next, we decided to visit the Monumental Cemetery. It was over-whelming, and it was extremely large. It was over 250,000 square feet. The cemetery had running trams, or you could walk throughout it. It was awesome, and although not many tourists go there, it was well worth it. As our very last attraction in Italy, we viewed one of Leonardo Da Vinchi's most famous painting, The Last Supper. Our tickets had to be purchased three months in advance, so everyone looked forward to it the most. The artwork left everyone speechless. It was in excellent condition, and was so much more amazing in person, than in photographs.

     
     Being nine o'clock already, everyone was absolutely starved. So, we went to dine at Trattoria Milanese, one of the top restaurants in Milan. I think I enjoyed our last meal the best, but I was no where near ready to board our flight that night. I simply wasn't ready to go home. I didn't wanna leave, ever. 

DAY SIX : June 23, 2011.

      I was getting tired of overnight and late night traveling, but loving Italy. We were now in Trento, Italy staying in a hotel called Hotel Aquila d'Oro. We ate breakfast, and were on our way to visit the Buonconsiglio Castle Museum. 

     The castles were amazing. I had never seen anything like them in my entire life. It was incredible, and completely breath-taking to see something so beautiful, and so ancient. After many photographs, we moved on to the Piazza Duomo and walked through the historic walking areas. We also viewed the landmarks there. It was one of the least interesting days, to me, but nevertheless I had fun. We ate dinner at Osteria a Le Due Spade. It was a perfect three course meal, and at an excellent price. It was also accompanied by two different kinds of water and wine, and a bread basket. After our long day, it was nearing eight o'clock. We all returned to our hotel, and gathered our things for one last time. Next stop - Milan!

DAY FIVE : June 22, 2011.

     That following morning, I woke up in Venice, Italy. It was late last night when we arrived at the Danieli Hotel, so everyone went to sleep. Being so tired the night before, we failed to admire this hotel's beauty. It was absolutely incredible! We woke up, and had yet another wonderful breakfast. I was in a wonderful mood, and ready to take on Venice! 

     First, we took a relaxing boat ride on the Grand Canal, through the center of Venice. Then, we shopped for a couple hours. We visited all of the little shops, and even a couple bakeries and cafes. We visited the Palazzo Ducale, and learned of it's history, then we finally visited the Campanile di San Marco. It is originally a lighthouse, to assist navigation in the lagoon. Visitors can be taken to the top by elevator, which is what we did. 

     Seeing that it was close to seven thirty, we decided to eat at Fiaschetteria Toscana. I was getting used to dining on fine Italian cuisine, and now that I'm not there, I really have missed it. This restaurant, though, was one of my favorites, even though it was very simple.

DAY FOUR : June 20, 2011

 After about an hour and a half of driving, we arrived in Bologna at our next hotel. We checked into the Fiera Hotel, and as we did every other late night, we rested until morning. For the first time, we actually dined for breakfast. We ate omelets, bacon, sausage, toast, pancakes, and so much more. It was the largest breakfast of the entire trip. After breakfast, we all took a cooking class. Bologna, Italy is mostly about different foods, so we decided to take a cooking class. We then toured a lot of different factories. We toured different wine factories, and even parmesan cheese factories. It was a very unique way to spend our day. When we finally finished our activities, it was seven o'clock so we went to San Domenico to eat dinner. I just loved Italian foods. Every place we went to, I enjoyed. The food was exquisite at every single restaurant. It was always cooked to perfection. Then, we returned to our hotel room, packed our things once more, and said goodbye to Bologna. We were off to Venice that night, at ten o’clock!

DAY TWO/THREE : June 19/20, 2011.

     When I arrived, I was exhausted. It was two in the morning, and so we had to check in to our next hotel in Florence, Italy. Our next reservations were made at Lungarno Hotel, and it was every bit as amazing as the first hotel. Being so tired, we didn’t bother to take any pictures until morning of our rooms. Once we awoke in the morning, everyone was prepared for our upcoming day at eleven o’clock. We all grabbed quick breakfast – doughnuts, bagels, muffins, and fruit. 

     We shopped at all the local markets to begin with, and then went to see  Piazza della Signoria, the heart of the historic center to view sculptures and many other historic things. After a couple hours spent there, we were all hungry so we chose a restaurant near our next stop, which would be the Duomo. It was a beautiful, traditional restaurant called Ristorante la Giostra. The food was cooked to perfection, and I couldn’t ask for a better dinner. We finished our most delicious meals, took photographs of the amazing restaurant, and then went to visit the Duomo di Firenze.

     It was about seven o’clock when we went to visit the cathedral, and the beauty of this place astonished me. It is one of the largest cathedrals in the world, and I just loved to take pictures of it, just to prove that I had actually seen it for myself! 

     We still had much to see in Italy, which is why we immediately left for Bologna, the third city scheduled to visit. 

DAY TWO : June 19, 2011.

     Because Rome was such a large city, we had much more to see. So we decided to visit a few more attractions before moving on to our next city. Our last breakfast in Rome consisted of the amazing foods offered at the Hotel D’lnghilterra. The room service was gourmet, and none of us wanted to leave. After finishing our meals, we were off to the Colosseum as our last attraction in Rome. 
          


     
     After some time spent there, we quickly said good-bye to Rome, and traveled for three hours down to Pompeii. From the ancient ruins, to Mount Vesuvious, and even to Villa dei Misteri, we ventured around Pompeii and saw as much as we possibly could. After a long day of sightseeing and driving, we decided to dine out for dinner at a most elegant restaurant. We dined at Ristorante President, and were more than satisfied with our Italian cuisines. From the service, to the atmosphere – everything was perfect.

     It was about nine o’clock when we finished our meals. Seeing that it only took about five hours to travel to Florence, which was our next stop, we all boarded the bus once again. We couldn’t afford to lose any time on our trip, because we had much to see.

DAY ONE : June 18, 2011

     Upon waking up from our naps, we agreed to only eat a small breakfast, so that we could dine out for lunch. Most of us only grabbed a bagel, or muffin. The Hotel D'lnghilterra offered an amazing breakfast assortment, but unfortunately we had to settle for a quick one.

     First stop – The Trevi Fountain! It was just outside of our hotel, and it was gorgeous. Legend has it, that if you toss a coin into the fountain, you will return to it one day. Every person in the group tossed a coin in, and after many pictures of it, we moved on to our next attraction. We then ate a late lunch, at Maccheroni , which is one of the best dishes in Rome. The food was exquisite, along with each and every waiter. We were more than satisfied with our meal, and the service.  So our waiter received an excellent tip as a token of our gratitude.

    

     To end our day, we visited the world famous Pantheon and also the Piazza Navona. We visited the Pantheon first. We stayed there, for only an hour or so, embracing its beauty and history. We captured the beautiful marble columns, thick brick walls, and the 43 meter-high structure of the Pantheon in each of our photographs that we snapped. The remainder of our day was spent photographing and viewing the beautiful fountains at the Piazza Navona. We each returned to our hotel room for the night, ordering room service for dinner, and then going straight to sleep at around ten o’clock.

Arrival in Rome -

     Finally, I arrived at my hotel in Rome, Italy at 8:30am. It was an overnight flight, and I was absolutely exhausted, but that didn't stop my adventurous thoughts about my upcoming stay in "The Eternal City". I could hardly wait to start embarking this incredible city. So, to begin, I took many pictures of our stunning hotel room. The Hotel D'lnghilterra was everything a guest could ask for and so much more. The accommodations were extraordinary, and the food was always perfectly prepared. The location of it was also very amazing - it was convenient to all of our tourist attractions. The hotel met every expectation of mine. I was very vigilant about starting off as soon as we arrived, but as a recommendation from our tour guide, we decided to take a short nap before exploring. We called asking for a wakeup call at about ten o'clock so that everyone in our group could get prepared for our day, and soon everyone was asleep. 

Fusilli With Tomato Sauce

Preparation: 5 mins (assuming that the tomato sauce is already prepared)
Cooking: 10 mins

SERVES 4 -

Ingredients:

• 400 g (14 oz) of Fusilli pasta
• Tomato Sauce

Directions:

• Boil your fusilli according to the producer instruction or see the "How to cook perfect spaghetti" link.

-- Take a large pan (higher than wider and better if made of aluminium) and fill with plenty of water. Just to give you some guidance, 1 litre of water for every 100 g of spaghetti (the quantity of water should be enough so that when you add the pasta the boiling should continue). When the water is boiling, add enough salt (about 10 g for every litre of water) to make the water slightly salted; then add the spaghetti and cook for the required time shown on the spaghetti pack. Stir every now and then in order to avoid the spaghetti sticking together. When draining the spaghetti I personally suggest not draining it too much but always to leave it a bit wet; this is quite helpful especially when you have a sauce that can dries quickly once in contact with the hot spaghetti.

•      Finally, top the fusilli with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Lincoln's Last Breath

 Abraham Lincoln's Assassination.

*from left, to right*

 (Major Henry Rathbone, Clara Harris, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, and John Wilkes Booth)

     

     My mother had told me that I was to look my very best this evening.  She had chosen a most elegant gown from my wardrobe, demanded that I wear it, and did the same for my younger sister.  We were attending a performance at the Ford's Theatre tonight, and my mother was very vigilant about our attire.  When we finally arrived at the theatre, I was in awe.  It absolutely astonished me.  It appeared to be like a palace that a king or queen of some sort would reside in.  As we sat in our reserved seats waiting the performance to begin, I studied the theatre’s beauty for quite some time.  The lights grew dim, and mother tugged on my arm to redirect my attention back to the stage.  I loved every minute of the comical play, and so did my sister.  Moments after it began though, I heard my mother gasp and whisper in a very hushed tone, “God almighty.”  Somewhat frightened, I looked over at her to see that she was looking in the direction of the president.  Instinctively, my eyes followed hers to the balcony where he and his wife were seated.  As soon as I did this, a deafening gun shot rang throughout the entire theatre.  The actors froze in their positions, backstage crew members were gandering through the closed curtains, and the entire audience was filled with nothing but gasps of terror, and eruptions of anger.  The man who fired the gun leaped from the balcony, and darted out the door just as fast as he mercilessly pulled the trigger.  Many men chased after him, but the chaos was far from over.  A doctor who had been in the theatre rushed up the stairs immediately.  Tears began to swell, and spill over my cheeks.  I glanced down at my sister, who was hopelessly lost in the situation, being much too young to understand.  I securely wrapped both of my arms around her, in an attempt to comfort her.   As the doctor examined the president’s wound, the theatre fell silent.  Nothing was spoken, but many tears were shed that evening for our nation’s leader. 

An artist's interpretation of Lincoln after he was shot.

Lincoln's Last Breath : Biography of Mary Todd Lincoln

     Mary Todd Lincoln

    

     One witness to President Abraham Lincoln’s death was his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln.  She had attended the comic play, “Our American Cousin” with her husband that memorable evening.  Little did she know that that would be the very last event she would ever attend with him.  In April 1865, her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre.  She was with him, when John Wilkes Booth fired a shot through the back of her husband’s head, leaving him paralyzed and barely breathing.  Although he did not die immediately after being shot, both her and their son stayed with Lincoln throughout the night until he died the following morning, April 15, at 7:22 am.  Mary received many messages of condolences, and she answered every one personally.  As a widow, she returned to Illinois and then later published a book providing valuable insight into her life as a First Lady, and also as a widow.