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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...

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.

A Walk through Naples Italy - Part 2

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Mt. Vesuvius   Last week, we took a walk through the centro storico of Naples. But the city has other wonderful treasure to explore. After walking all morning, we stopped for lunch. Our class instructor chose L’Angolo degli Amici for their excellent pizza. They make their pie with a crust stuffed with ricotta cheese. This stops it from burning in the oven, and it is delicious. As we walked toward the waterfront, we stopped at the Galleria Umberto I. This public shopping mall was built in 1890 as a space that combined shops, cafes, business offices and apartments, all covered by a vaulted glass ceiling. At the waterfront is the Castle Nouvo. The castle was originally built in 1293 and served as the home of the King of Naples until 1734, when a new palace was built in town.  Of course, one of the best things to do when walking in a city is to spend time observing the people encountered on the way. We had a wonderful day in Naples. I only wish we had more time to explore. Nuts a...