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Loving - The Movie. A beautiful portrayal of a forgotten civil rights story

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Ruth Negga (2 nd from right) stars as Mildred and Joel Edgerton (right) stars as Richard in Jeff Nichols LOVING, a Focus Features release. Credit : Ben Rothstein / Focus Features   Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving grew up in the rural unincorporated town of Central Point, Virginia. They met in high school, spent time together, and eventually, when Mildred became pregnant, decided to marry. But this was the 1950’s and Mildred was African American and Richard was white. Virginia had anti-miscegenation laws which made their marriage illegal. How did these two young people get beyond Jim Crow and fall in love? Well that had a lot to with Central Point VA. Central Point was and is still a very rural area. At a distance of about 90 miles south east from Washington DC it was community with a history of poor farmers, black and white, ignoring the rules of segregation, living together. According to a 2012 article in the Washington Post , Central Point and Caroline Count...

Walking in Rome, Italy

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  When you walk around a city you have the opportunity to see the small things that make it special. What you see might be something iconic or run of the mill. It might show the interaction of people and place. If you take your time, slow down, and look around, you can find the really special sights that define a place. Some restaurants offer experiences to tourists The Prati neighborhood is the area north of Castel Sant’Angelo along the west bank of the Tiber River. It is a residential area, and was the working home for the class I was taking. Scooters are a major mode of transportation in Rome Fountains are everywhere Just south of Sant’Angelo is the Hospital Santo Spirito in Sassia. The hospital is the oldest in Europe, first built in 1198 by Pope Innocent III. Santo Spirito was destroyed by fire in 1471 and rebuilt at that time. While there are several interesting historic things, including a museum of “sanitary arts”, what caught my eye was outside, at the rear of the building...

Faces in Rome

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Friends near the Castel Sant'Angelo   Traveling to a new place offers a lot of new experiences. Sometimes I am entranced by the difference in architecture. Sometimes it is the museums that grab me, with art pulling me in ahead of everything else. But on my trip to Rome this spring I spent time people watching, and using my camera to record what I observed. A Meeting of Minds   From Sant'Angelo to the Parthenon to Piazza Navona, I was often surrounded by people, both local and visitors, who offer a fascinating look into life and time spent is this European capital.   At Castel Sant'Angelo  Sometimes, you just have to enjoy the view Shore leave selfie Getting that photo for social media Okay, where are we again?  At The Pantheon and Piazza Navona Looking to Make some Magic    Taking selfies together Changing of the guard at the Italian Senate Jazz in the Piazza Not part of the crowd  At the Trevi Fountain The Crowd at the Trevi Fountain Comparing ph...

The Faces of Florence

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  I have visited the city of Florence more times than any other in Italy. I have spent many days exploring its museums and streets. So, when mt photography class had the city on its itinerary, I wasn’t sure what I would focus on. But our instructor gave us a clear mandate - Take pictures of the people we encounter. We started our day at the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, and then the Piazza della Republica. Santa Maria Novella Church Of course, no day of people watching would be complete without visits to two of Florence’s busiest and most crowded spaces, the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria. Not even a steady rain kept the crowds away.   Out final stop of the day was at the Ponte Vecchio, with its jewelry stores casting light into the very wet evening. Spending a day looking at people, not places, was a new experience for me, one I plan on repeating often.