When In Rome

Rob and Carmen Faulkner sent their oldest daughter, MC, to Rome, Italy to study abroad in 2013. Rob, Carmen, and the youngest daughter, LeighAnn visited MC in Rome and brought home pictures that tell a story through the lens of a camera. 

MC Faulkner stands in a Piazza during her first weekend in Rome.

LeighAnn Faulkner tosses a coin over her shoulder to the Trevi Fountain in hopes of returning to Rome one day.

The Faulkner Family enjoys an authentic Italian cappuccino.

The Vatican is home to the Pope and is often referred to as the "Holy See" which means the central government of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Altare della Patria, or " II Vittoriano", is a monument built in honor of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first of a unified Italy and is also the site of Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which has an eternal flame and is guarded 24/7.

MC Faulkner takes pictures inside the Colosseum, capturing history through the lens of her camera. 

The Colosseum is the largest ampitheater in the world and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It was built during the years 70-80AD and could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators. It was mostly used for gladiatorial contests. 

People from all over the world flooded the streets of Rome and St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday to attend the new Pope's first Easter Mass. 

5 Headlines From the Summer

-Michael Brown

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/us/michael-brown-spent-last-weeks-grappling-with-lifes-mysteries.html?_r=0

          For the entire month of August, the name you heard on the news was Michael Brown. Michael Brown was an 18 year old black teenager that was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, MO, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown was caught stealing a box of cigars from a convenience store and pushing the clerk into a display case. It is known that he struggled during his life on and off with drugs and alcohol, but would usually walk around with a smile on his face. After being confronted in the store, Michael and his friend were walking in the middle of the street when Officer Darren Wilson told them to get on the sidewalk. Brown hit the officer and struggled with him to get the officer's weapon; Brown was then shot.

         The residents of Ferguson, MO claimed that this fatal confrontation was an act of racism and started to riot in the streets of Ferguson. Police force against peaceful protesting initiated the rioting and grew into vandalism, looting, and some gunshots being fired. Police established curfews and deployed riot squads to try to calm matters, but there was little impact. The shooting of Michael Brown and aftermath are newsworthy because it took the attention of Americans and people all over the world informing them that people truly believe that violence is the answer to many things. 

-Malaysian Plane

http://online.wsj.com/articles/dutch-officials-say-malaysia-air-jet-likely-shot-down-by-missile-1410537115

         After President Putin of Russia invaded Ukraine earlier in the year, militants in Ukraine and Russia have been on edge. When the news of a crashed passenger plane arrived, people around the world were concerned about their own safety. We now know that Malaysian flight 17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over Eastern Ukraine. There were 298 passengers and crew aboard when the plane was shot down; all passengers and crew aboard were killed. The Boeing 777 was shot down at close range by what is believed to be a missile, but has been left called a "high energy object". The downing of this aircraft is newsworthy because it was the killing of 298 innocent civilians and also because back in March, another Malaysian passenger plane went missing and has yet to be found.

-Ebola

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/09/19/ebola-in-the-u-s-dont-bet-on-it/

          Ebola has been known in the world for a while now, but the recent outbreak has caused major concern worldwide. It's no secret that Africa is home to many people infected with the Ebola virus, but the United States is not so normal. The United States has very elaborate medical centers nationwide, so disease and viruses are able to be prevented a lot of the time. When 2 American citizens came back into the country and brought the Ebola virus also, doctors and other citizens became worried that more people may become infected. The citizens have been quarantined and because of this, the United States was able to avoid and slight outbreak of Ebola. The possible Outbreak of Ebola in the U.S. is newsworthy because one of the citizens is from Charlotte, NC which is close to where we are and also because the latest outbreak is the largest one to date.

-ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

http://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2014/08/29/the-als-ice-bucket-challenge-has-raised-100m-but-its-finally-cooling-off/

          All the rage this pass Summer was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease" is a disease that affects the muscles and nervous system. The ALS Ice Bucket challenge is where people who are nominated record themselves taking a bucket of ice and water and dumping it over themselves to raise money for ALS research and proceeded to nominate other people. If you are nominated, you have 24 hours to complete the challenge or you can forfeit by way of donating money. Many celebrities have participated in this challenge as well as your everyday citizen. Notable celebrities who have participated include:  Katy Perry, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg. Many celebrities and some people also donate money along with their completion of the challenge. The ALS Ife Bucket Challenge is newsworthy because it's a fun way to promote awareness and raise money for ALS.

-Tony Stewart

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/tony-stewart-kevin-wards-death-will-affect-my-life-forever/

          One of the more disturbing headlines this Summer was the news that Nascar and Sprint-Car racer Tony Stewart had struck and killed a fellow racer during a sprint-car race in New York. The video that was shown was very disturbing as it showed racer Kevin Ward Jr. stepping out of his car to confront Stewart about something that had happened and had upset him when Tony Stewart hit Ward and killed him. Stewart announced that he was withdrawing from the race and races in the following weeks to cope with the incident and in support of Kevin Ward and his family. Investigators reviewed the video and claim that Stewart not necessarily intended to kill or even hit Ward, just scare him a little as he accelerated when he was making the turn where the accident occurred. The case has since been completed as of September 11, 2014 and it has been announced that any action that will be taken is to be announced in the following week. The death of Kevin Ward Jr. is newsworthy as it shows that things aren't always intended and they may not have the outcome expected. Also, it is newsworthy because Tony Stewart is a big name racer and athlete.

Faulkner and Family Takes a Trip to Italy

On March 29th, 2013, LeighAnn Faulkner and her parents left the United States and flew to Rome, Italy.

           It was the week before spring break and MC, Faulkner's older sister, was studying abroad in Rome. She was studying over there for her entire second semester, so the parents of Faulkner thought it would be nice to make a trip over there to visit and explore Rome. Faulkner and her parents flew from Charlotte, NC to Newark, NJ on March 29th where they had a 5 hour layover before boarding the next flight. When they landed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino International Airport after a 9 hour flight, it was 7 in the morning the next day. The Faulkners spent that day checking into the hotel, meeting up with the eldest Faulkner child, and walking around the city. During their trip, Faulkner and her family saw Castel Sant'Angelo, went to the new Pope's first Easter Mass at The Vatican, saw St. Peter's Basilica, The Sistine Chapel, The Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and ate plenty of Italian food. The European lifestyle is much different compared to the American lifestyle in many different ways from taking a siesta during the day, to eating late at night and taking 2 or 3 hours to eat at dinner.

"I never thought of Italy as a place I've wanted to go, but I became so attached and have wanted to go back ever since. It was truly a vacation to remember." This experience changed the younger Faulkner and she now has hopes of returning to her new found home away from home.