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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...

Three Houses in Lisbon, Portugal

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  My recent trip to Lisbon happened to take place at a time when most of the city’s major museums were simultaneously closed for renovations. While I missed the chance to see them, I took full advantage of the opportunity to visit some of Lisbon’s smaller, lesser known, but fascinating offerings. Today, I will take you on a tour of three homes, representing the lives of some of Lisbon’s prominent citizens. 
Museu Casa Dr. Anastasio Gonçalves   In 1905, Portuguese artist José Malhoa (1855-1933) moved into his newly built home and studio, an art nouveau house in the Avenidas Novas neighborhood. Malhoa was a leading painter in the naturalist style, and his success allowed to commission a very nice house. Portrait of Dr. Gonçalves by José Molhoa Malhoa sold the home in 1919, after the death of his wife. It passed through several owners until it was bought by Dr. Anastasio Gonçalves (1888-1965) in 1932. Gonçalves was an ophthalmologist, and a collector of artwork. Given the histor...

Rye Playland, a Wonderful Alternative to the Mega-Park. Rye, NY

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    Long before the era of the mega-amusement park with its large crowds and high prices, there were smaller, local parks.If you lived in Brooklyn, Coney Island was where you would go. In Queens, it was Rockaway Playland. But if you grew up in the northern part of New York City, or in Westchester County, Rye Playland still is the place to find the thrills a bumper car or a roller coaster can provide.   Opened in 1928 by the Westchester County Parks Department, its buildings were designed in the Art Deco style of that time. The park covers 280 acres, including a beach and pool for swimming on hot summer days, an 80 acre lake for boating, a large parking lot, and of course an amusement park for children of all ages. The park’s distinct style should be recognizable to anyone who saw the roller coaster scene in Fatal Attraction, or cried as Tom Hanks looked for the Zoltan game, and a return back to childhood, in Big.   Playland is a relatively small amusement park, with ...