Tag: earthquakes

Postcards from Amsterdam, Netherlands: ‘Stories that Matter’ told by the brave

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Above: Names of journalists and photographers killed in the line of duty memorialized at the opening exhibition of the World Press Photo 2024 Awards in the Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam

In the two decades since 2003, at least 1,668 journalists have lost their lives while trying to shed light on issues of importance to us all, according to Reporters without Borders. In 2023, another 45 names were added to that list. The list prominently displayed in Amsterdam’s New Cathedral for the opening of the World Press Photo 2024 Awards must have hit the photographers hard – names of coworkers and friends they have made while covering stories in danger zones throughout the world.

The Nieuwe Kerk is hardly “new,” having been consecrated in 1409. While the “Royal Church” is still used for royal weddings and coronations, it also serves as a venue for important exhibitions, such as this one. With its soaring vaulted ceiling, floors embedded with tombs and cherubs overlooking all, the dramatic setting emphasized the seriousness of the meaningful topics delved into by the award-winning photographers.

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Postcard from Ferrara, Italy: Waving ciao for now….

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Rounding up the final shots from our pleasant stay in Ferrara, one of the most comfortable places I’ve ever visited….

Families were celebrating university graduations, the seniors sporting laurel crowns as they paraded through town. Some groups were more dignified than others. Food costumes seemed popular for grads, as evidenced here by the fries and the wrapped pink candy.

And, in some places, cracks and tumbled-down architectural elements remind one always of past earthquakes, including a major 6.0 quake four years ago.