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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...
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The Met Museum - Sargent and Photographs

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  The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City always hosts major special exhibits. One of the current shows is a retrospective of paintings by John Singer Sargent.  Sargent and Paris (through Aug 3, 2025)   John Singer Sargent (1856 - 1925) was born to American expatriates in Europe. His father was an eye surgeon based in Paris. Both of his parents encouraged Sargent’s interest in art, sending him to the Academy of Florence to study, and then supporting him in Paris as he worked under the portraitist Carolus-Duran . En Route pour la Pêche Atlantic Storm Staircase in Capri Portrait of Frances Sherborne Ridley Watts Rehearsal of the Pasdeloup Orchestra Early in his life, Sargent traveled around Europe with his parents. He continued to travel as an adult, and incorporated what he discovered into his early works. Madame Ramón Subercaseaux Venetian Street Fumée d'Ambre Gris As Sargent matured, he concentrated more on his portrait work. In the 1880’s many artists were pai...
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Location: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028, USA
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Palm Sunday in Saint Peter's Square. Vatican City

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  If I had to guess, I would say that just about everyone has heard of and seen pictures of, Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City, especially after the recent naming of a new Pope. I would also venture that many readers of a travel blog have had the opportunity to visit The Vatican. But I would guess that not as many people have had the chance to visit on one of the most important days on the Christian calendar. Well, I had the opportunity to be there on Palm Sunday this year, and it did not disappoint. Saint Peter’s Square was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and opened in 1667. The interior courtyard is 196 m long and 149 m wide, and is designed to hold up to 300,000 people with a view of both the speaking platform and the Pope’s balcony. It is surrounded by colonnades which contain 284 columns that are 16m tall. The covered walkways are topped off with 140 statues of saints and martyrs. Colonnade at Saint Peter's Square At the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk (25....
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Location: 00120, Vatican City
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