https://yanapaskova.com/ 2026-03-16 weekly 1.0 https://yanapaskova.com/about-me 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/DSCF9160.jpg https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Boiko.jpg https://yanapaskova.com/contact 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://storage.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/newspapers_mug.jpg https://yanapaskova.com/copyright 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/helping-women 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/where-women-rule 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_2.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_003.jpg Nanki Mata, a widow who estimates she is 75 years old, poses for a portrait in the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Nanki says she has spent two years in this ashram, after her husband was thrown in prison for getting in a fight, and passed away from injuries to his body. Her daughter got married, so no one looked after her - then the daughter died as well. She has two other children, but didn't want to go her son's or her other daughter's in-laws because she says that's not how tradition works here. She is left with no contact with her relatives, nor was she aware that she had legal rights on her property, so whatever little her husband had, was taken away by his brothers. "My husband is not here, how would I fight?" she says. Nanki Mata, a widow who estimates she is 75 years old, poses for a portrait in the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Nanki says she has spent two years in this ashram, after her husband was thrown in prison for getting in a fight, and passed away from injuries to his body. Her daughter got married, so no one looked after her - then the daughter died as well. She has two other children, but didn't want to go her son's or her other daughter's in-laws because she says that's not how tradition works here. She is left with no contact with her relatives, nor was she aware that she had legal rights on her property, so whatever little her husband had, was taken away by his brothers. "My husband is not here, how would I fight?" she says. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_009.jpg Hindu decor at Pashupatinath Ashram in Varanasi, India on January 06, 2019. Hindu decor at Pashupatinath Ashram in Varanasi, India on January 06, 2019. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_014.jpg (L-R) Widows Shakuntala Devi, who estimates she is 70 years old, and Jamuna Mata, who estimates she is 90 years old, interact at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. (L-R) Widows Shakuntala Devi, who estimates she is 70 years old, and Jamuna Mata, who estimates she is 90 years old, interact at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_013.jpg (L-R) Widows Shakuntala Devi, who estimates she is 70 years old, and Durga Devi, who estimates she is 60 years old, pose for a portrait at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Durga, originally from Rajasthan, is a god-sister and cousin with Shakuntala. Durga says of her friendship with Shakuntala: "On one side is the river Ganga, and on the other, Baba Vishwanath (Lord Shiva.) We are right in between - there isn't a better place." Durga says she did not want to live with her son following her husband's death, as she wanted to be closer to the holy river Ganges and Lord Shiva. She often visits her son, who insists that she stay at home and looks after her well. But she says she prefers the ashram. (L-R) Widows Shakuntala Devi, who estimates she is 70 years old, and Durga Devi, who estimates she is 60 years old, pose for a portrait at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Durga, originally from Rajasthan, is a god-sister and cousin with Shakuntala. Durga says of her friendship with Shakuntala: "On one side is the river Ganga, and on the other, Baba Vishwanath (Lord Shiva.) We are right in between - there isn't a better place." Durga says she did not want to live with her son following her husband's death, as she wanted to be closer to the holy river Ganges and Lord Shiva. She often visits her son, who insists that she stay at home and looks after her well. But she says she prefers the ashram. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_004.jpg Meena Devi, 78, a widow, falls deep in thought at Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Meena is originally from Nepal, and has lived in the ashram for the past 25 years. Before that, she lived in the same building as Sita Devi, 52, and her mother-in-law, Goma Devi, 96, who now also occupy this ashram. Meena is a child widow. "Maybe I was cursed and I would have been forbidden to attend any functions because my husband died at a young age," she says. So with the help of relatives she moved here to live among other widows. She didn't want to marry again after her husband's death. Meena Devi, 78, a widow, falls deep in thought at Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Meena is originally from Nepal, and has lived in the ashram for the past 25 years. Before that, she lived in the same building as Sita Devi, 52, and her mother-in-law, Goma Devi, 96, who now also occupy this ashram. Meena is a child widow. "Maybe I was cursed and I would have been forbidden to attend any functions because my husband died at a young age," she says. So with the help of relatives she moved here to live among other widows. She didn't want to marry again after her husband's death. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_015.jpg Meena Devi, 78, a widow, begins to pray at Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Meena is originally from Nepal, and has lived in the ashram for the past 25 years. Before that, she lived in the same building as Sita Devi, 52, and her mother-in-law, Goma Devi, 96, who now also occupy this ashram. Meena is a child widow. "Maybe I was cursed and I would have been forbidden to attend any functions because my husband died at a young age," she says. So with the help of relatives she moved here to live among other widows. She didn't want to marry again after her husband's death. Meena Devi, 78, a widow, begins to pray at Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Meena is originally from Nepal, and has lived in the ashram for the past 25 years. Before that, she lived in the same building as Sita Devi, 52, and her mother-in-law, Goma Devi, 96, who now also occupy this ashram. Meena is a child widow. "Maybe I was cursed and I would have been forbidden to attend any functions because my husband died at a young age," she says. So with the help of relatives she moved here to live among other widows. She didn't want to marry again after her husband's death. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_002.jpg A man walks by Ratan Devi Mata, 82 years old, as she moves through the streets of Varanasi, India in a bent position on January 05, 2019. Ratan is originally from Nepal. After her husband left her for another woman a day following their wedding, she tried to live with her in-laws, but daily fighting motivated her to join Birla ashram instead. Ratan believes she will attain Moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) if she dies here. She receives a monthly pension of 2,000 rupees from Sulabh International. A man walks by Ratan Devi Mata, 82 years old, as she moves through the streets of Varanasi, India in a bent position on January 05, 2019. Ratan is originally from Nepal. After her husband left her for another woman a day following their wedding, she tried to live with her in-laws, but daily fighting motivated her to join Birla ashram instead. Ratan believes she will attain Moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) if she dies here. She receives a monthly pension of 2,000 rupees from Sulabh International. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_12.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_006.jpg Shakuntala Devi, who estimates her age to be 70 years old, at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. She wears color despite the expectation of widows to don only white. Shakuntala is originally from Varanasi, married in Agra and returned in 2005, some time after her husband passed away and her daughter got married (who still visits her.) She had a photo of her husband but got rid of it as she didn't want to hold on to any memories - she says she believes that what's left behind should be left behind. On widows' garb, she says it should be their choice to wear whatever color they want, not just the traditional white, meant to symbolize death and asexuality. She uses the 2,000 rupee a month pension that she receives from Sulabh International for her expenses. "The winter has been cold this year and I used 900 rupees to buy a blanket. Sometimes when I am left with no money, I take help from my daughter, even though she doesn't have any money as her husband doesn't have a regular job. The good thing is that I don't have to do any work now as my body doesn't allow me to work anymore." Shakuntala Devi, who estimates her age to be 70 years old, at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. She wears color despite the expectation of widows to don only white. Shakuntala is originally from Varanasi, married in Agra and returned in 2005, some time after her husband passed away and her daughter got married (who still visits her.) She had a photo of her husband but got rid of it as she didn't want to hold on to any memories - she says she believes that what's left behind should be left behind. On widows' garb, she says it should be their choice to wear whatever color they want, not just the traditional white, meant to symbolize death and asexuality. She uses the 2,000 rupee a month pension that she receives from Sulabh International for her expenses. "The winter has been cold this year and I used 900 rupees to buy a blanket. Sometimes when I am left with no money, I take help from my daughter, even though she doesn't have any money as her husband doesn't have a regular job. The good thing is that I don't have to do any work now as my body doesn't allow me to work anymore." https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_010.jpg Usha Mishra, a widow who is unsure of her age, at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Usha's in-laws passed away a few years before her husband, who died of a heart attack, and all her other relatives were too far away and with family. She didn't have anyone to pay for her expenses, so she felt she had no other option but to come to the ashram, as Sulabh International provides 2,000 rupees as a monthly pension. Usha Mishra, a widow who is unsure of her age, at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Usha's in-laws passed away a few years before her husband, who died of a heart attack, and all her other relatives were too far away and with family. She didn't have anyone to pay for her expenses, so she felt she had no other option but to come to the ashram, as Sulabh International provides 2,000 rupees as a monthly pension. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_3.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_005.jpg A widow exits her room at Pashupatinath Ashram in Varanasi, India on January 06, 2019. A widow exits her room at Pashupatinath Ashram in Varanasi, India on January 06, 2019. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_016.jpg Munni Devi, who estimates she is 90 years old, sitting behind the mosquito net of her bed becomes emotional while talking about her life, at Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Munni says she doesn't remember the age of her husband - he was a few older than her. A mother of two, one of her sons was kidnapped at the age of 12 and the other son died in an accident. "I worked so hard to educate him hoping that one day he will become an engineer and take care of me. But God had other plans. I have no one, I can't cry to anyone," she says, adding that she was left out on the streets following her husband's death, as her landlord sold her rented home. "Now I have been here for some time, thinking about why God did this to me and passing my time." Munni Devi, who estimates she is 90 years old, sitting behind the mosquito net of her bed becomes emotional while talking about her life, at Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Munni says she doesn't remember the age of her husband - he was a few older than her. A mother of two, one of her sons was kidnapped at the age of 12 and the other son died in an accident. "I worked so hard to educate him hoping that one day he will become an engineer and take care of me. But God had other plans. I have no one, I can't cry to anyone," she says, adding that she was left out on the streets following her husband's death, as her landlord sold her rented home. "Now I have been here for some time, thinking about why God did this to me and passing my time." https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_7.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_007.jpg Munni Devi, who estimates she is 90 years old, sitting behind the mosquito net of her bed becomes emotional while talking about her life, at Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Munni says she doesn't remember the age of her husband - he was a few older than her. A mother of two, one of her sons was kidnapped at the age of 12 and the other son died in an accident. "I worked so hard to educate him hoping that one day he will become an engineer and take care of me. But God had other plans. I have no one, I can't cry to anyone," she says, adding that she was left out on the streets following her husband's death, as her landlord sold her rented home. "Now I have been here for some time, thinking about why God did this to me and passing my time." Munni Devi, who estimates she is 90 years old, sitting behind the mosquito net of her bed becomes emotional while talking about her life, at Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Munni says she doesn't remember the age of her husband - he was a few older than her. A mother of two, one of her sons was kidnapped at the age of 12 and the other son died in an accident. "I worked so hard to educate him hoping that one day he will become an engineer and take care of me. But God had other plans. I have no one, I can't cry to anyone," she says, adding that she was left out on the streets following her husband's death, as her landlord sold her rented home. "Now I have been here for some time, thinking about why God did this to me and passing my time." https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_008.jpg Ratan Devi Mata, 82 years old, talks about her husband at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Ratan is originally from Nepal. After her husband left her for another woman a day following their wedding, she tried to live with her in-laws, but daily fighting motivated her to join the ashram instead. Ratan believes she will attain Moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) if she dies here. She receives a monthly pension of 2,000 rupees from Sulabh International. Ratan Devi Mata, 82 years old, talks about her husband at Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Ratan is originally from Nepal. After her husband left her for another woman a day following their wedding, she tried to live with her in-laws, but daily fighting motivated her to join the ashram instead. Ratan believes she will attain Moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) if she dies here. She receives a monthly pension of 2,000 rupees from Sulabh International. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_011.jpg Shanti Devi, a 72-year-old widow, sings and prays in the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Shanti Devi, a 72-year-old widow, sings and prays in the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_8.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_11.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_012.jpg (L-R) Widows Meena Devi, 78, Sita Devi, 52, and Savitri Devi, who estimates she is 80 years old, sing and and pray at Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Sita's mother-in-law, Goma Devi, who estimates she is 90 years old, also lives in the ashram. (L-R) Widows Meena Devi, 78, Sita Devi, 52, and Savitri Devi, who estimates she is 80 years old, sing and and pray at Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Sita's mother-in-law, Goma Devi, who estimates she is 90 years old, also lives in the ashram. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_017.jpg Ratan Devi Mata, 82 years old, enters Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Ratan is originally from Nepal. After her husband left her for another woman a day following their wedding, she tried to live with her in-laws, but daily fighting motivated her to join the ashram instead. Ratan believes she will attain Moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) if she dies here. She receives a monthly pension of 2,000 rupees from Sulabh International. Ratan Devi Mata, 82 years old, enters Birla ashram in Varanasi, India on January 05, 2019. Ratan is originally from Nepal. After her husband left her for another woman a day following their wedding, she tried to live with her in-laws, but daily fighting motivated her to join the ashram instead. Ratan believes she will attain Moksha (release from the cycle of rebirth) if she dies here. She receives a monthly pension of 2,000 rupees from Sulabh International. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_6.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_018.jpg A widow looks out onto passersby and street traffic from the courtyard of the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. A widow looks out onto passersby and street traffic from the courtyard of the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_019.jpg Sonakshi Devi, a widow, lies on the roof of the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. Sonakshi Devi, a widow, lies on the roof of the Durga Kund Help Line ashram in Varanasi, India on January 08, 2019. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_9.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Women_020.jpg Meena Devi, 78, a widow, pets a cow outside of Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Meena is originally from Nepal, and has lived in the ashram for the past 25 years. Before that, she lived in the same building as Sita Devi, 52, and her mother-in-law, Goma Devi, 96, who now also occupy this ashram. Meena is a child widow. "Maybe I was cursed and I would have been forbidden to attend any functions because my husband died at a young age," she says. So with the help of relatives she moved here to live among other widows. She didn't want to marry again after her husband's death. Meena Devi, 78, a widow, pets a cow outside of Rak Kuti ashram in Varanasi, India on January 07, 2019. Meena is originally from Nepal, and has lived in the ashram for the past 25 years. Before that, she lived in the same building as Sita Devi, 52, and her mother-in-law, Goma Devi, 96, who now also occupy this ashram. Meena is a child widow. "Maybe I was cursed and I would have been forbidden to attend any functions because my husband died at a young age," she says. So with the help of relatives she moved here to live among other widows. She didn't want to marry again after her husband's death. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Varanasi_Vid_1.jpg Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi | Yana Paskova View Where Women Rule: Widows of Varanasi by Yana Paskova. https://yanapaskova.com/power-of-poo 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_002.jpg A road snakes through Kigali, Rwanda on November 19, 2017. The land-locked African nation relies on hydropower and wood-burning for its energy, emissions from which combine with automotive and bike exhaust to form a blanket of pollution. While Rwanda is making an effort to source more climate-friendly fuels, the country has already experienced temperature increases higher than the global average, which are projected to continue to rise by 2.5 degrees C from its 1970 temperatures, by the 2050s. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. A road snakes through Kigali, Rwanda on November 19, 2017. The land-locked African nation relies on hydropower and wood-burning for its energy, emissions from which combine with automotive and bike exhaust to form a blanket of pollution. While Rwanda is making an effort to source more climate-friendly fuels, the country has already experienced temperature increases higher than the global average, which are projected to continue to rise by 2.5 degrees C from its 1970 temperatures, by the 2050s. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_001.jpg Driving through thick smog in Kigali, Rwanda, on November 14, 2017. The land-locked African nation relies on hydropower and wood-burning for its energy, emissions from which combine with automotive and bike exhaust to form a blanket of pollution. While Rwanda is making an effort to source more climate-friendly fuels, like biogas, the country has already experienced temperature increases higher than the global average, which are projected to continue to rise by 2.5¬∞C from its 1970 temperatures, by the 2050s. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Driving through thick smog in Kigali, Rwanda, on November 14, 2017. The land-locked African nation relies on hydropower and wood-burning for its energy, emissions from which combine with automotive and bike exhaust to form a blanket of pollution. While Rwanda is making an effort to source more climate-friendly fuels, like biogas, the country has already experienced temperature increases higher than the global average, which are projected to continue to rise by 2.5¬∞C from its 1970 temperatures, by the 2050s. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_003.jpg Smoke rises as twelve-year-old Sandra Gihozo blows onto a pot of beans, stoking the wooden fire beneath it in Mount Kigali village in Rwanda, on November 12, 2017. Her aunt Ruth Uwamahoro says Sandra's eyes and throat often hurt from the smoke, and that wood gathering sometimes makes her miss schoolwork. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Smoke rises as twelve-year-old Sandra Gihozo blows onto a pot of beans, stoking the wooden fire beneath it in Mount Kigali village in Rwanda, on November 12, 2017. Her aunt Ruth Uwamahoro says Sandra's eyes and throat often hurt from the smoke, and that wood gathering sometimes makes her miss schoolwork. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_012.jpg Kamana Jean, 56 years old, carries wood by a road snaking through Mount Kigali, Rwanda on November 17, 2017. Jean said he'd be more happy to use something else - like biogas - to cook with, adding that wood smoke flavors his food and it is hard on the body, creating problems with eyesight for him and his eight children and wife. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Kamana Jean, 56 years old, carries wood by a road snaking through Mount Kigali, Rwanda on November 17, 2017. Jean said he'd be more happy to use something else - like biogas - to cook with, adding that wood smoke flavors his food and it is hard on the body, creating problems with eyesight for him and his eight children and wife. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_007.jpg Gakuru Yassin, 21, carries a branch found in the forest to be used as wood for cooking on November 13, 2017 in Mount Kigali, Rwanda. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Gakuru Yassin, 21, carries a branch found in the forest to be used as wood for cooking on November 13, 2017 in Mount Kigali, Rwanda. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_006.jpg Terrace farming, which helps decrease erosion and surface runoff, is seen on November 15, 2017 in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Wood gathering causes much of the deforestation and soil erosion in the country. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Terrace farming, which helps decrease erosion and surface runoff, is seen on November 15, 2017 in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Wood gathering causes much of the deforestation and soil erosion in the country. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_014.jpg Workers clean up at Drimex, a biogas digester assembly factory owned by Dusabe Jean Bosco, on November 17, 2017 in Kigali, Rwanda. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Workers clean up at Drimex, a biogas digester assembly factory owned by Dusabe Jean Bosco, on November 17, 2017 in Kigali, Rwanda. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_019.jpg Jean Claude Niyibizi, 30, sweeps up pig poo as his wife, Christine Manirafasha, 26, (not seen,) cooks food with a grill connected to a biogas digester received via Oxfam, on November 16, 2017 in their home in Gakenke, Rwanda. Manirafasha says it is easier and quicker to cook with biogas, and that smoke had become a problem while cooking with wood. Her only adjustment, she says, was to remember to turn the gauge to the off position. Having the digester has also allowed her to develop further activities, like a chicken farm and tailoring business. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Jean Claude Niyibizi, 30, sweeps up pig poo as his wife, Christine Manirafasha, 26, (not seen,) cooks food with a grill connected to a biogas digester received via Oxfam, on November 16, 2017 in their home in Gakenke, Rwanda. Manirafasha says it is easier and quicker to cook with biogas, and that smoke had become a problem while cooking with wood. Her only adjustment, she says, was to remember to turn the gauge to the off position. Having the digester has also allowed her to develop further activities, like a chicken farm and tailoring business. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_016.jpg (C-R) Christine Manirafasha, 26, and her husband, Jean Claude Niyibizi, 30, who are the recipients of an Oxfam biogas digester, prepare to eat some eggs they've cooked with it on November 16, 2017 in their home in Gakenke, Rwanda. Manirafasha says it is easier and quicker to cook with biogas, and that smoke had become a problem while cooking with wood. Her only adjustment, she says, was to remember to turn the gauge to the off position. Having the digester has also allowed her to develop further activities, like a chicken farm and tailoring business. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. (C-R) Christine Manirafasha, 26, and her husband, Jean Claude Niyibizi, 30, who are the recipients of an Oxfam biogas digester, prepare to eat some eggs they've cooked with it on November 16, 2017 in their home in Gakenke, Rwanda. Manirafasha says it is easier and quicker to cook with biogas, and that smoke had become a problem while cooking with wood. Her only adjustment, she says, was to remember to turn the gauge to the off position. Having the digester has also allowed her to develop further activities, like a chicken farm and tailoring business. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_023.jpg The pig whose poo is used in Etiene Twagirayezu's biogas digester, seen in his yard in Rutabo, Rwanda on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. The pig whose poo is used in Etiene Twagirayezu's biogas digester, seen in his yard in Rutabo, Rwanda on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_020.jpg The animal poo inside Etiene Twagirayezu's biogas digester, seen in front of his home in Rutabo, Rwanda on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. The animal poo inside Etiene Twagirayezu's biogas digester, seen in front of his home in Rutabo, Rwanda on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_021.jpg Etiene Twagirayezu, 60, talks about his biogas digester in front of his home in Rutabo, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Etiene Twagirayezu, 60, talks about his biogas digester in front of his home in Rutabo, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_022.jpg The chicken farm Etiene Twagirayezu, 60, was able to create as a result of saving time via cooking with a biogas digester at his home in Rutabo, Rwanda on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. The chicken farm Etiene Twagirayezu, 60, was able to create as a result of saving time via cooking with a biogas digester at his home in Rutabo, Rwanda on November 18, 2017. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_024.jpg Etiene Twagirayezu, 60, lights his biogas digester in his home on November 18, 2017 in Rutabo, Rwanda. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Etiene Twagirayezu, 60, lights his biogas digester in his home on November 18, 2017 in Rutabo, Rwanda. Twagirayezu says that before his digester, he'd spend up to 3 hours a day gathering 10 kilograms of wood, and saw kids get injured climbing trees and be late to school doing the same. He added he was happy his workload at home was reduced due to being able to use his cow's and pig's poo instead of wood as fuel, as well as about the resulting lessening of deforestation. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_025.jpg Mwiseneza Winfrid, 62, lights her biogas grill on November 15, 2017, inside her home in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Winfrid has been a recipient of a biogas digester by a government-financed private company, and says she wishes everybody had access to biogas - not only to drastically reduce cooking time that is otherwise much lengthier when using wood, but also to reduce damage to the environment. She uses the poo discarded from the digester as soil fertilizer. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Mwiseneza Winfrid, 62, lights her biogas grill on November 15, 2017, inside her home in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Winfrid has been a recipient of a biogas digester by a government-financed private company, and says she wishes everybody had access to biogas - not only to drastically reduce cooking time that is otherwise much lengthier when using wood, but also to reduce damage to the environment. She uses the poo discarded from the digester as soil fertilizer. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_026.jpg The tree line on a hill, as seen on November 15, 2017 in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Wood gathering causes much of the deforestation and soil erosion in the country. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. The tree line on a hill, as seen on November 15, 2017 in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Wood gathering causes much of the deforestation and soil erosion in the country. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_027.jpg A child stands behind a car's stop lights, in near full darkness in the village of Mount Kigali, Rwanda in the evening of November 13, 2017. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. A child stands behind a car's stop lights, in near full darkness in the village of Mount Kigali, Rwanda in the evening of November 13, 2017. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_028.jpg Mwiseneza Winfrid, 62, traverses her yard, where she raises cows, pigs and goats, on November 15, 2017 in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Winfrid has been a recipient of a biogas digester by a government-financed private company, and says she wishes everybody had access to biogas - not only to drastically reduce cooking time that is otherwise much lengthier when using wood, but also to reduce damage to the environment. She uses the poo discarded from the digester as soil fertilizer. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Mwiseneza Winfrid, 62, traverses her yard, where she raises cows, pigs and goats, on November 15, 2017 in the Rulindo District, Rwanda. Winfrid has been a recipient of a biogas digester by a government-financed private company, and says she wishes everybody had access to biogas - not only to drastically reduce cooking time that is otherwise much lengthier when using wood, but also to reduce damage to the environment. She uses the poo discarded from the digester as soil fertilizer. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_030.jpg Prisoner of 22 years Gregoire Nsengiyumva, 53, talks about the biogas digester system he helped design (within the cement containers on left and right) at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Prisoner of 22 years Gregoire Nsengiyumva, 53, talks about the biogas digester system he helped design (within the cement containers on left and right) at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_031.jpg Prisoners rest in between cooking food via peat and biogas at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Prisoners rest in between cooking food via peat and biogas at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_033.jpg Prisoners cook corn at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Prisoners cook corn at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_034.jpg Prisoners cook food via peat and biogas at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Prisoners cook food via peat and biogas at Rwamagana Prison in Rwamagana, Rwanda, on November 18, 2017. All of Rwanda's prisons use their prisoners' waste - in addition to that of cows - to fuel their kitchens via biogas. At Rwamagana, biogas is used to cook corn, and peat cooks rice and beans. Many prisoners say they can usually tell when biogas is used due to the lack of smokey flavor in food. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Biogas_Paskova_035.jpg Cows seen out on pasture on November 18, 2017 in Kigali, Rwanda. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. Cows seen out on pasture on November 18, 2017 in Kigali, Rwanda. Nearly half of all Rwandans live in poverty, relying on small-scale farming for survival without gas or electricity. With so many women and children spending hours of the day foraging for wood used for cooking and light, often damaging their eyes, lungs, the forests and atmosphere, a little inventiveness helps. Enter cow and enter pig -- not just as a source of food, but also the heat needed to cook it. Or more specifically, their poo -- the fuel fed to a biogas digester, a tank that converts organic waste into methane. https://yanapaskova.com/25-years-after 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/communism-relived 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_001.jpg A sign reading "26th of July - Victory of Ideas", is seen in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. A sign reading "26th of July - Victory of Ideas", is seen in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_002.jpg Jose Alonzo, sporting a USA tattoo, waters the plants in front of his house in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. Jose Alonzo, sporting a USA tattoo, waters the plants in front of his house in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_003.jpg Women drink fresh fruit juice from a snack shop in the center of the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. Women drink fresh fruit juice from a snack shop in the center of the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_004.jpg A girl takes orders in a late-night pizza joint, playing mostly American music from the 1980s and 1990s, in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. A girl takes orders in a late-night pizza joint, playing mostly American music from the 1980s and 1990s, in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_005.jpg Yasiel Valdivia waits for a bus with his brother, Michael Denis Fonteto (not seen,) in the port city of Mariel, on the way to visit their mother and grandmother a nearby village. Yasiel and Michael's uncle was amongst those who fled toward Florida in the Mariel Boatlift exodus of 1980. The brothers say he has not since regained permission to return, separating him from his sister (their mother) and his 93-year-old mother, for 35 years. Mariel is a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. Yasiel Valdivia waits for a bus with his brother, Michael Denis Fonteto (not seen,) in the port city of Mariel, on the way to visit their mother and grandmother a nearby village. Yasiel and Michael's uncle was amongst those who fled toward Florida in the Mariel Boatlift exodus of 1980. The brothers say he has not since regained permission to return, separating him from his sister (their mother) and his 93-year-old mother, for 35 years. Mariel is a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_006.jpg (L-R) Michael Denis Fonteto, his mother, Raizel Fonte Muñoz, grandmother Aida Muñoz, and brother, Yasiel Valdivia, spend time together in a village close to the port city of Mariel, Cuba. Yasiel and Michael's uncle was amongst those who fled toward Florida in the Mariel Boatlift exodus of 1980. The brothers say he has not since regained permission to return, separating him from his sister (their mother) and his 93-year-old mother, for 35 years. Mariel is a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. (L-R) Michael Denis Fonteto, his mother, Raizel Fonte Muñoz, grandmother Aida Muñoz, and brother, Yasiel Valdivia, spend time together in a village close to the port city of Mariel, Cuba. Yasiel and Michael's uncle was amongst those who fled toward Florida in the Mariel Boatlift exodus of 1980. The brothers say he has not since regained permission to return, separating him from his sister (their mother) and his 93-year-old mother, for 35 years. Mariel is a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_007.jpg Traffic moves through the center of the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. Traffic moves through the center of the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_008.jpg An everyday scene in the city park of the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. An everyday scene in the city park of the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_009.jpg (L-R) Melani Conpagine, 13, holds her brother Mauro Peña, 1, next to the wife of a relative, Nancy Mena, 48, as she gives her father, Juaneto Mena, 82, a shave in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. (L-R) Melani Conpagine, 13, holds her brother Mauro Peña, 1, next to the wife of a relative, Nancy Mena, 48, as she gives her father, Juaneto Mena, 82, a shave in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_010.jpg A bakery features a portrait of current president of Cuba Raúl Castro in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. A bakery features a portrait of current president of Cuba Raúl Castro in the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_011.jpg A pro-government poster and a newspaper biography of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, with whom Cuba shares a trade relationship and a distaste for American capitalism the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. A pro-government poster and a newspaper biography of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, with whom Cuba shares a trade relationship and a distaste for American capitalism the port city of Mariel, Cuba, a town whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_012.jpg Women practice Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan under a fresco of Cuban revolutionary philosopher and political theorist José Martí and communist revolutionary leader Che Guevara in Mariel, Cuba. Images of government idols - a famously ubiquitous sight across Cuba - fill the space that an absence of advertising leaves in printed media, billboards, and edifices. Women practice Chen-style t'ai chi ch'uan under a fresco of Cuban revolutionary philosopher and political theorist José Martí and communist revolutionary leader Che Guevara in Mariel, Cuba. Images of government idols - a famously ubiquitous sight across Cuba - fill the space that an absence of advertising leaves in printed media, billboards, and edifices. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_013.jpg (L-R) Yandi Corrioso Samoraz, 22, and Raymel Medina, 16, go for an evening dip in the water, with construction of the new port visible in the background, in Mariel, Cuba. Raymel says he'd like to learn more about the world, but extremely limited internet access in his city, and in the country in general, makes this a challenge. (Internet access is either difficult to find, or prohibitively expensive.) Mariel's tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. (L-R) Yandi Corrioso Samoraz, 22, and Raymel Medina, 16, go for an evening dip in the water, with construction of the new port visible in the background, in Mariel, Cuba. Raymel says he'd like to learn more about the world, but extremely limited internet access in his city, and in the country in general, makes this a challenge. (Internet access is either difficult to find, or prohibitively expensive.) Mariel's tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_014.jpg Raymel Medina, 16, (center,) relaxes with friends after an evening dip in the water in the port city of Mariel, Cuba. He says he'd like to learn more about the world, but extremely limited internet access in his city, and in the country in general, makes this a challenge. Internet in Cuba is either difficult to find, or prohibitively expensive. Travel outside of the island is also forbidden to most, except to those whose jobs allows it, or have a government connection. Raymel Medina, 16, (center,) relaxes with friends after an evening dip in the water in the port city of Mariel, Cuba. He says he'd like to learn more about the world, but extremely limited internet access in his city, and in the country in general, makes this a challenge. Internet in Cuba is either difficult to find, or prohibitively expensive. Travel outside of the island is also forbidden to most, except to those whose jobs allows it, or have a government connection. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_015.jpg A bus transports its passengers to Mariel, a port city whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. Here is where the Russian navy unloaded its nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, as well as the site of the famous Mariel Boatlift of 1980, when 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled the island during a 6-month lift on travel restrictions to the U.S. Now, Mariel's largest development project in history - a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone - aims to attract foreign investment, especially that of the U.S. A critical ingredient for its success will be the status of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years, but now under speculation of being lifted. A bus transports its passengers to Mariel, a port city whose tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. Here is where the Russian navy unloaded its nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, as well as the site of the famous Mariel Boatlift of 1980, when 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled the island during a 6-month lift on travel restrictions to the U.S. Now, Mariel's largest development project in history - a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone - aims to attract foreign investment, especially that of the U.S. A critical ingredient for its success will be the status of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years, but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_016.jpg Apartment blocks with a crumbling infrastructure are seen in the provinces on the way to the port city of Mariel, Cuba, on April 19, 2015. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. Mariel's tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. Apartment blocks with a crumbling infrastructure are seen in the provinces on the way to the port city of Mariel, Cuba, on April 19, 2015. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. Mariel's tranquil appearance belies its important place in both the history and future of Cuban-American interaction. It is where Russians unloaded nuclear warheads in the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, and the gateway through which 125,000 Miami-bound emigres fled during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The town is now the site of construction of a deepwater container port and a free-trade zone, a critical ingredient for which will be the future of the U.S. embargo against Cuba, in place for more than 50 years but now under speculation of being lifted. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_017.jpg A woman waits her turn at a bodega in Havana, Cuba, near a photo of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, with whom Cuba used to share a trade relationship and a distaste for American capitalism. Bodegas provide food rations - basics like rice, flour, sugar and beans, that exclude green veggies, most meat, spices or dairy (which is restricted to all but children and pregnant women) - to each Cuban citizen via the Libreta de Abastecimiento (supplies booklet,) which establishes the kind, amount and frequency of food allotted per person. The rations, which supply approximately 1/3 of Cubans' food requirements, have been kept at stable, subsidized prices since the program's inception in 1962 - as food can otherwise be forbiddingly expensive, and even at bodegas, hard to come by. This is due to a combination of inefficient farming policies, the U.S. embargo (in place since the 60s,) and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s (which until then had filled the U.S.-Cuba trade vacuum with subsidies.) Food shortages, while common today, were especially sharp then, both in Bulgaria and Cuba, as the two countries tried to adjust to a non-Soviet-sponsored economy. A woman waits her turn at a bodega in Havana, Cuba, near a photo of former Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, with whom Cuba used to share a trade relationship and a distaste for American capitalism. Bodegas provide food rations - basics like rice, flour, sugar and beans, that exclude green veggies, most meat, spices or dairy (which is restricted to all but children and pregnant women) - to each Cuban citizen via the Libreta de Abastecimiento (supplies booklet,) which establishes the kind, amount and frequency of food allotted per person. The rations, which supply approximately 1/3 of Cubans' food requirements, have been kept at stable, subsidized prices since the program's inception in 1962 - as food can otherwise be forbiddingly expensive, and even at bodegas, hard to come by. This is due to a combination of inefficient farming policies, the U.S. embargo (in place since the 60s,) and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s (which until then had filled the U.S.-Cuba trade vacuum with subsidies.) Food shortages, while common today, were especially sharp then, both in Bulgaria and Cuba, as the two countries tried to adjust to a non-Soviet-sponsored economy. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_018.jpg Looking into a private barber shop in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Since privatization was first allowed within Cuba's state-owned socialist system in the mid-70s, the requirements for those allowed to be cuentapropistas (small business entrepreneurs - whose practice wasn't allowed in Bulgaria and most of Eastern Europe until the collapse of communism) have fluctuated from restrictive to less so - the latter in the Raúl Castro era of 2008 and beyond. But a clear disincentive to private business expansion remains: if payroll surpasses 5 employees or a $2,000 yearly profit, taxes increase disproportionately (from 15% to 50% in case of the latter.) Looking into a private barber shop in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Since privatization was first allowed within Cuba's state-owned socialist system in the mid-70s, the requirements for those allowed to be cuentapropistas (small business entrepreneurs - whose practice wasn't allowed in Bulgaria and most of Eastern Europe until the collapse of communism) have fluctuated from restrictive to less so - the latter in the Raúl Castro era of 2008 and beyond. But a clear disincentive to private business expansion remains: if payroll surpasses 5 employees or a $2,000 yearly profit, taxes increase disproportionately (from 15% to 50% in case of the latter.) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_019.jpg A list of available products hangs outside of a bodega (convenience store) in Havana, Cuba. Bodegas provide food rations - basics like rice, flour, sugar and beans, that exclude green veggies, most meat, spices or dairy (which is restricted to all but children and pregnant women) - to each Cuban citizen via the Libreta de Abastecimiento (supplies booklet,) which establishes the kind, amount and frequency of food allotted per person. The rations, which supply approximately 1/3 of Cubans' food requirements, have been kept at stable, subsidized prices since the program's inception in 1962 - as food can otherwise be forbiddingly expensive, and even at bodegas, hard to come by. This is due to a combination of inefficient farming policies, the U.S. embargo (in place since the 60s,) and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s (which until then had filled the U.S.-Cuba trade vacuum with subsidies.) Food shortages, while common today, were especially sharp then, both in Bulgaria and Cuba, as the two countries tried to adjust to a non-Soviet-sponsored economy. A list of available products hangs outside of a bodega (convenience store) in Havana, Cuba. Bodegas provide food rations - basics like rice, flour, sugar and beans, that exclude green veggies, most meat, spices or dairy (which is restricted to all but children and pregnant women) - to each Cuban citizen via the Libreta de Abastecimiento (supplies booklet,) which establishes the kind, amount and frequency of food allotted per person. The rations, which supply approximately 1/3 of Cubans' food requirements, have been kept at stable, subsidized prices since the program's inception in 1962 - as food can otherwise be forbiddingly expensive, and even at bodegas, hard to come by. This is due to a combination of inefficient farming policies, the U.S. embargo (in place since the 60s,) and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s (which until then had filled the U.S.-Cuba trade vacuum with subsidies.) Food shortages, while common today, were especially sharp then, both in Bulgaria and Cuba, as the two countries tried to adjust to a non-Soviet-sponsored economy. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_020.jpg Maydelin Pérez Pérez, 38, sells empanadas with her three-year-old daughter, Lorena Sofia Reyez, in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Pérez is divorced, cannot afford daycare for her four children, and says her ex-husband contributes the equivalent to $1 of child support monthly. She earned less at her government job as a secretary than she does now, as one of Cuba's cuentapropistas (small business entrepreneurs, whose practice wasn't allowed in Bulgaria and most of Eastern Europe until the collapse of communism.) Since privatization was first allowed within Cuba's state-owned socialist system in the mid-70s, the requirements for those allowed to be cuentapropistas have fluctuated from restrictive to less so - the latter in the Raúl Castro era of 2008 and beyond. But a clear disincentive to private business expansion remains, however: if payroll surpasses 5 employees or a $2,000 yearly profit, taxes increase disproportionately (from 15% to 50% in case of the latter.) Maydelin Pérez Pérez, 38, sells empanadas with her three-year-old daughter, Lorena Sofia Reyez, in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Pérez is divorced, cannot afford daycare for her four children, and says her ex-husband contributes the equivalent to $1 of child support monthly. She earned less at her government job as a secretary than she does now, as one of Cuba's cuentapropistas (small business entrepreneurs, whose practice wasn't allowed in Bulgaria and most of Eastern Europe until the collapse of communism.) Since privatization was first allowed within Cuba's state-owned socialist system in the mid-70s, the requirements for those allowed to be cuentapropistas have fluctuated from restrictive to less so - the latter in the Raúl Castro era of 2008 and beyond. But a clear disincentive to private business expansion remains, however: if payroll surpasses 5 employees or a $2,000 yearly profit, taxes increase disproportionately (from 15% to 50% in case of the latter.) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_021.jpg (L-R) Yosuan Gonzalez, 15, Lazaro Gutierrez, 16, Lorenzo Velasquez, 13, Noel Sandoval, 19, and a friend who preferred to remain unnamed (right, in blue,) chat with Emily Chanti, 4, and Yeseña Kagemusa, 6, on April 17, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. (L-R) Yosuan Gonzalez, 15, Lazaro Gutierrez, 16, Lorenzo Velasquez, 13, Noel Sandoval, 19, and a friend who preferred to remain unnamed (right, in blue,) chat with Emily Chanti, 4, and Yeseña Kagemusa, 6, on April 17, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_022b.jpg A little girl plays hide and seek with a friend in front of apartment blocks with a crumbling infrastructure in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, on April 16, 2015. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. A little girl plays hide and seek with a friend in front of apartment blocks with a crumbling infrastructure in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, on April 16, 2015. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_022.jpg (L-R) Daniel Alemán, 20, a model, and his girlfriend, Kaisa Garcia, 21, a dancer, enjoy each other's company before a Buena Fe concert at Mella theater in Havana, Cuba, on April 16, 2015. Their moments of privacy are rare; like many people their age, they will likely continue to live with their parents for many years before being able to afford living in a place of their own. Garcia wants to remain a dancer but does not think she can, on what she anticipates to be extremely low pay. "If you can forget about the economy, the safety here is nice," she says. "I just try to create a bubble in my mind away from anything that doesn't work in the country, and I am happy." (L-R) Daniel Alemán, 20, a model, and his girlfriend, Kaisa Garcia, 21, a dancer, enjoy each other's company before a Buena Fe concert at Mella theater in Havana, Cuba, on April 16, 2015. Their moments of privacy are rare; like many people their age, they will likely continue to live with their parents for many years before being able to afford living in a place of their own. Garcia wants to remain a dancer but does not think she can, on what she anticipates to be extremely low pay. "If you can forget about the economy, the safety here is nice," she says. "I just try to create a bubble in my mind away from anything that doesn't work in the country, and I am happy." https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_023.jpg A chicken is groomed, and its nails sharpened and augmented with a long, sharp nail made of a turtle shell, before a cock-fighting event at a sports arena on April 18, 2015 in Managua, Cuba. Cock-fighting in Cuba is in the gray area of legal - state-run events such as this (non-private) functions are permitted, but not monetary betting. This is in part due to lingering bitterness over the control U.S. mafia used to exercise over casinos and prostitution in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the income from which allowed crime lords a certain level of interference in the country's political matters. A chicken is groomed, and its nails sharpened and augmented with a long, sharp nail made of a turtle shell, before a cock-fighting event at a sports arena on April 18, 2015 in Managua, Cuba. Cock-fighting in Cuba is in the gray area of legal - state-run events such as this (non-private) functions are permitted, but not monetary betting. This is in part due to lingering bitterness over the control U.S. mafia used to exercise over casinos and prostitution in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the income from which allowed crime lords a certain level of interference in the country's political matters. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_024.jpg A man prepares whole grilled chicken for sale transported in the trunk of his Moskvitch, an automobile made by Russia from 1946 to 2002, before a cock-fighting event at a sports arena on April 18, 2015 in Managua, Cuba. Cock-fighting in Cuba is in the gray area of legal - state-run events such as this (non-private) functions are permitted, but not monetary betting. This is in part due to lingering bitterness over the control U.S. mafia used to exercise over casinos and prostitution in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the income from which allowed crime lords a certain level of interference in the country's political matters. A man prepares whole grilled chicken for sale transported in the trunk of his Moskvitch, an automobile made by Russia from 1946 to 2002, before a cock-fighting event at a sports arena on April 18, 2015 in Managua, Cuba. Cock-fighting in Cuba is in the gray area of legal - state-run events such as this (non-private) functions are permitted, but not monetary betting. This is in part due to lingering bitterness over the control U.S. mafia used to exercise over casinos and prostitution in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the income from which allowed crime lords a certain level of interference in the country's political matters. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_025.jpg A chicken's beak is tied shut to prevent premature pecking before a cock-fighting event at a sports arena on April 18, 2015 in Managua, Cuba. Cock-fighting in Cuba is in the gray area of legal - state-run events such as this (non-private) functions are permitted, but not monetary betting. This is in part due to lingering bitterness over the control U.S. mafia used to exercise over casinos and prostitution in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the income from which allowed crime lords a certain level of interference in the country's political matters. A chicken's beak is tied shut to prevent premature pecking before a cock-fighting event at a sports arena on April 18, 2015 in Managua, Cuba. Cock-fighting in Cuba is in the gray area of legal - state-run events such as this (non-private) functions are permitted, but not monetary betting. This is in part due to lingering bitterness over the control U.S. mafia used to exercise over casinos and prostitution in pre-revolutionary Cuba, the income from which allowed crime lords a certain level of interference in the country's political matters. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_026.jpg A participant in a march organized by the wives and female relatives of imprisoned political dissidents rests by a tree in Havana, Cuba. The opposition group, Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White,) attends Mass at Santa Rita church each Sunday, then marches around it clad in white, as a symbol of peace. Most complain of regular beatings and detainment - with one of the largest reported (75 of the group's members) in 2011 and 2012. In Catholic countries, Saint Rita is known as the patroness of impossible causes, or heartbroken women. A participant in a march organized by the wives and female relatives of imprisoned political dissidents rests by a tree in Havana, Cuba. The opposition group, Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White,) attends Mass at Santa Rita church each Sunday, then marches around it clad in white, as a symbol of peace. Most complain of regular beatings and detainment - with one of the largest reported (75 of the group's members) in 2011 and 2012. In Catholic countries, Saint Rita is known as the patroness of impossible causes, or heartbroken women. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_029b.jpg Retiree Lucilla Sulueta Cuesta, 66, gets her nails done by Liu Sanchez, 24, (not seen,) who works as a manicurist cuentaproprista (private business entrepreneur, whose practice wasn't allowed in Bulgaria and most of Eastern Europe until the collapse of communism,) in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Since privatization was first allowed within Cuba's state-owned socialist system in the mid-70s, the requirements for those allowed to be cuentapropistas have fluctuated from restrictive to less so - the latter in the Raúl Castro era of 2008 and beyond. But a clear disincentive to private business expansion remains: if payroll surpasses 5 employees or a $2,000 yearly profit, taxes increase disproportionately (from 15% to 50% in case of the latter.) Retiree Lucilla Sulueta Cuesta, 66, gets her nails done by Liu Sanchez, 24, (not seen,) who works as a manicurist cuentaproprista (private business entrepreneur, whose practice wasn't allowed in Bulgaria and most of Eastern Europe until the collapse of communism,) in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Since privatization was first allowed within Cuba's state-owned socialist system in the mid-70s, the requirements for those allowed to be cuentapropistas have fluctuated from restrictive to less so - the latter in the Raúl Castro era of 2008 and beyond. But a clear disincentive to private business expansion remains: if payroll surpasses 5 employees or a $2,000 yearly profit, taxes increase disproportionately (from 15% to 50% in case of the latter.) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_028.jpg A room full of dancers mingle to the sounds of DJ Mike Polarni following a concert at Fabrica de Arte, in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Fabrica de Arte, which opened in 2014 with the backing of the Ministry of Culture, is an industrial factory turned performance space where established and unknown musicians, painters, photographers, and playwrights alike show their work. A room full of dancers mingle to the sounds of DJ Mike Polarni following a concert at Fabrica de Arte, in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Fabrica de Arte, which opened in 2014 with the backing of the Ministry of Culture, is an industrial factory turned performance space where established and unknown musicians, painters, photographers, and playwrights alike show their work. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_029.jpg A young student wearing the uniform of communist youth rests in front of an office for the CDR (Comité de Defensa de la Revolución, or Committee for the Defense of the Revolution,) which is a network of neighborhood watch organizations reporting on any "counter-revolutionary" or anti-communist activity, in Havana, Cuba. My grandfather spent 5 years of his youth in a labor camp for political dissidents after one such neighborhood watch organization noted his lack of participation in the communist party - thus labeling him a person of conflict with the government of Bulgaria. Elementary schoolchildren wear pañoletas, or scarves as part of the uniform of the José Martí Pioneer Organization for children operated by the communist party - that is quite similar to a communist youth organization in which I had to partake as a young Bulgarian student - blue or red in color depending on their age, and switch to yellow and white uniforms in adolescence. A young student wearing the uniform of communist youth rests in front of an office for the CDR (Comité de Defensa de la Revolución, or Committee for the Defense of the Revolution,) which is a network of neighborhood watch organizations reporting on any "counter-revolutionary" or anti-communist activity, in Havana, Cuba. My grandfather spent 5 years of his youth in a labor camp for political dissidents after one such neighborhood watch organization noted his lack of participation in the communist party - thus labeling him a person of conflict with the government of Bulgaria. Elementary schoolchildren wear pañoletas, or scarves as part of the uniform of the José Martí Pioneer Organization for children operated by the communist party - that is quite similar to a communist youth organization in which I had to partake as a young Bulgarian student - blue or red in color depending on their age, and switch to yellow and white uniforms in adolescence. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_031.jpg Children wearing the uniform of communist youth are directed to salute "Votó!" ("S/he voted!") as a woman places her ballot in Cuba's Elecciones Parciales (Partial Elections) to elect delegates to the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power, the country's unicameral parliament, on April 19, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. The delegates function as district representatives for a 2.5 year term. Little Pioneers - members of the José Martí Pioneer Organization for children operated by the communist party - are often sent by polling station presidents to people's homes as a means to motivate citizens to the polls. (Voting is not mandatory, but frowned upon if not exercised.) Kids usually enter the organization in elementary school, wearing blue or red scarves - or pañoletas - to indicate the student's level, and continue until adolescence, switching to yellow and white uniforms in high school. Children wearing the uniform of communist youth are directed to salute "Votó!" ("S/he voted!") as a woman places her ballot in Cuba's Elecciones Parciales (Partial Elections) to elect delegates to the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power, the country's unicameral parliament, on April 19, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. The delegates function as district representatives for a 2.5 year term. Little Pioneers - members of the José Martí Pioneer Organization for children operated by the communist party - are often sent by polling station presidents to people's homes as a means to motivate citizens to the polls. (Voting is not mandatory, but frowned upon if not exercised.) Kids usually enter the organization in elementary school, wearing blue or red scarves - or pañoletas - to indicate the student's level, and continue until adolescence, switching to yellow and white uniforms in high school. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_032.jpg A student clad in the uniform of communist youth practices a salute given to voters as they place their ballots in Cuba's Elecciones Parciales (Partial Elections) to elect delegates from the country's single party to its unicameral parliament, this April in Havana, Cuba. Members of the José Martí Pioneer Organization for children operated by the communist party - that is quite similar to a communist youth organization in which I had to partake as a young Bulgarian student - are often sent to people's homes as a means to motivate citizens to vote. Voting is not mandatory, but heavily frowned upon if not exercised. Elementary schoolchildren wear pañoletas, or scarves as part of the organization's uniform - blue or red in color depending on their age, and switch to yellow and white uniforms in adolescence. A student clad in the uniform of communist youth practices a salute given to voters as they place their ballots in Cuba's Elecciones Parciales (Partial Elections) to elect delegates from the country's single party to its unicameral parliament, this April in Havana, Cuba. Members of the José Martí Pioneer Organization for children operated by the communist party - that is quite similar to a communist youth organization in which I had to partake as a young Bulgarian student - are often sent to people's homes as a means to motivate citizens to vote. Voting is not mandatory, but heavily frowned upon if not exercised. Elementary schoolchildren wear pañoletas, or scarves as part of the organization's uniform - blue or red in color depending on their age, and switch to yellow and white uniforms in adolescence. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_033.jpg A portrait of José Martí - Cuban poet, journalist, revolutionary philosopher, and political theorist - hangs at a polling station as voters place their ballots in Cuba's Elecciones Parciales (Partial Elections) to elect delegates to the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power, the country's unicameral parliament, on April 19, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. The delegates function as district representatives for a 2.5 year term, communicating complaints and new guidelines between the electorate the Assembly. Voting is not mandatory, but frowned upon if not exercised. A portrait of José Martí - Cuban poet, journalist, revolutionary philosopher, and political theorist - hangs at a polling station as voters place their ballots in Cuba's Elecciones Parciales (Partial Elections) to elect delegates to the Municipal Assemblies of People’s Power, the country's unicameral parliament, on April 19, 2015 in Havana, Cuba. The delegates function as district representatives for a 2.5 year term, communicating complaints and new guidelines between the electorate the Assembly. Voting is not mandatory, but frowned upon if not exercised. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_034.jpg Art during the Communist years in Eastern Europe was highly sanitized - and artists who chose not to show a utopian view of the country, censored and punished. Artists in state-run Cuba as well have felt pressure to sanitize political issues and any difficulties the Cuban people may face, or omit them altogether. While the more open era of Raúl Castro has made it easier to toe the line in these areas of self-expression, artists who cross it altogether risk losing the support of government-controlled galleries that display their works. Here, Artist Arístides Hernández discusses his painting, which depicts possible bidirectional paranoia resulting from the future melding of Cuban and American culture - the former represented by the Lilliputians, and the latter, by Gulliver, both from the novel Gulliver's Travels - in his artist studio in Havana, Cuba. Art during the Communist years in Eastern Europe was highly sanitized - and artists who chose not to show a utopian view of the country, censored and punished. Artists in state-run Cuba as well have felt pressure to sanitize political issues and any difficulties the Cuban people may face, or omit them altogether. While the more open era of Raúl Castro has made it easier to toe the line in these areas of self-expression, artists who cross it altogether risk losing the support of government-controlled galleries that display their works. Here, Artist Arístides Hernández discusses his painting, which depicts possible bidirectional paranoia resulting from the future melding of Cuban and American culture - the former represented by the Lilliputians, and the latter, by Gulliver, both from the novel Gulliver's Travels - in his artist studio in Havana, Cuba. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_035.jpg (L-R) Artists Angel León, 24, and Victor Manuel Ojeda, 24, work on nuancing a painting done by painter Eduardo Abela, 52, in Havana, Cuba, that satirically references the cult of action heroes by replacing religious figures with Western cartoon characters in copies of theological paintings. Art during the Communist years in Eastern Europe was highly sanitized - and artists who chose not to show a utopian view of the country, censored and punished. Artists in state-run Cuba as well have felt pressure to sanitize political issues and any difficulties the Cuban people may face, or omit them altogether. While the more open era of Raúl Castro has made it easier to toe the line in these areas of self-expression, artists who cross it altogether risk losing the support of government-controlled galleries that display their works. (L-R) Artists Angel León, 24, and Victor Manuel Ojeda, 24, work on nuancing a painting done by painter Eduardo Abela, 52, in Havana, Cuba, that satirically references the cult of action heroes by replacing religious figures with Western cartoon characters in copies of theological paintings. Art during the Communist years in Eastern Europe was highly sanitized - and artists who chose not to show a utopian view of the country, censored and punished. Artists in state-run Cuba as well have felt pressure to sanitize political issues and any difficulties the Cuban people may face, or omit them altogether. While the more open era of Raúl Castro has made it easier to toe the line in these areas of self-expression, artists who cross it altogether risk losing the support of government-controlled galleries that display their works. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_036.jpg Tourists walk by graffiti of the American cartoon character Wile E. Coyote and his speech bubble "Nuestro Futuro (Our Future,)" running by a cactus shaped to read "One Up King Size," in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. It is said to reflect the fear that a further thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations will permanently alter the cultural and economic make-up of the island. In the cartoons, Coyote repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempts to catch a fast-running ground bird, The Road Runner, his plans for capture always backfiring in injury. Tourists walk by graffiti of the American cartoon character Wile E. Coyote and his speech bubble "Nuestro Futuro (Our Future,)" running by a cactus shaped to read "One Up King Size," in the Havana Vieja neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. It is said to reflect the fear that a further thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations will permanently alter the cultural and economic make-up of the island. In the cartoons, Coyote repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempts to catch a fast-running ground bird, The Road Runner, his plans for capture always backfiring in injury. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_038.jpg I grew up in a world almost completely clean of advertisement. It was unnecessary in pre-1989 Bulgaria: private enterprise was forbidden, eliminating retailer and manufacturer competition on production of a very limited supply of goods, that few people could afford anyway. Although entrepreneurship exists both legally and illegally on the vast government-owned landscape of Cuba, payroll taxes that increase disproportionately with the rise of annual profit discourage its expansion. Propaganda fills the space that consumerism leaves on this Havana street (a famously ubiquitous sight across the nation.) A sign for the Young Communist League (Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas,) reading "Everything for the Revolution," stretches across a billboard next to the organization's motto "Estudio, Trabajo, Fusil" ("Study, Work, Rifle,") and the likes of Cuban revolutionaries Julio Antonio Mella, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. While the organization's membership is voluntary (and selective - based on a clean record of pro-government views,) it is highly encouraged for social and professional success. I grew up in a world almost completely clean of advertisement. It was unnecessary in pre-1989 Bulgaria: private enterprise was forbidden, eliminating retailer and manufacturer competition on production of a very limited supply of goods, that few people could afford anyway. Although entrepreneurship exists both legally and illegally on the vast government-owned landscape of Cuba, payroll taxes that increase disproportionately with the rise of annual profit discourage its expansion. Propaganda fills the space that consumerism leaves on this Havana street (a famously ubiquitous sight across the nation.) A sign for the Young Communist League (Unión de Jóvenes Comunistas,) reading "Everything for the Revolution," stretches across a billboard next to the organization's motto "Estudio, Trabajo, Fusil" ("Study, Work, Rifle,") and the likes of Cuban revolutionaries Julio Antonio Mella, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. While the organization's membership is voluntary (and selective - based on a clean record of pro-government views,) it is highly encouraged for social and professional success. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_039.jpg People wait for a bus to arrive near a sign for the upcoming 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to show support to their socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests worldwide are known to join. While attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noted and discouraged. I recall the communist years Labor Day marches of Bulgaria quite well: much like in the Cuba of today, groups of people huddled with their co-workers in the early a.m hours, attendance to be accounted for by their boss - or face social, and often professional, retribution. People wait for a bus to arrive near a sign for the upcoming 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to show support to their socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests worldwide are known to join. While attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noted and discouraged. I recall the communist years Labor Day marches of Bulgaria quite well: much like in the Cuba of today, groups of people huddled with their co-workers in the early a.m hours, attendance to be accounted for by their boss - or face social, and often professional, retribution. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_040.jpg Turkish participants march during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, on May 01, 2015. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to march in the streets in show of support to their local socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests from many countries and social organizations worldwide are known to join the march. Participants have noted that while attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noticed and discouraged. Turkish participants march during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, on May 01, 2015. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to march in the streets in show of support to their local socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests from many countries and social organizations worldwide are known to join the march. Participants have noted that while attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noticed and discouraged. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_041b.jpg A man marching during during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, holds onto the Cuban flag on May 01, 2015. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to march in the streets in show of support to their local socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests from many countries and social organizations worldwide are known to join the march. Participants have noted that while attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noticed and discouraged. A man marching during during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, holds onto the Cuban flag on May 01, 2015. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to march in the streets in show of support to their local socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests from many countries and social organizations worldwide are known to join the march. Participants have noted that while attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noticed and discouraged. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_041.jpg (L-R) Participants in the 1st of May Labor Day parade march in Havana, Cuba, hold signs of German Communist revolutionary Friedrich Engels, Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin and German Communist revolutionary Karl Marx. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to show support to their socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests worldwide are known to join. While attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noted and discouraged. I recall the communist years Labor Day marches of Bulgaria quite well: much like in the Cuba of today, groups of people huddled with their co-workers in the early a.m hours, attendance to be accounted for by their boss - or face social, and often professional, retribution. (L-R) Participants in the 1st of May Labor Day parade march in Havana, Cuba, hold signs of German Communist revolutionary Friedrich Engels, Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin and German Communist revolutionary Karl Marx. In Cuba, the day known as Día del Trabajo is a call for people to show support to their socialist government and the Cuban Revolution. Guests worldwide are known to join. While attendance is not mandatory, absence from the march is usually noted and discouraged. I recall the communist years Labor Day marches of Bulgaria quite well: much like in the Cuba of today, groups of people huddled with their co-workers in the early a.m hours, attendance to be accounted for by their boss - or face social, and often professional, retribution. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Cuba_Paskova_042.jpg People march by a sign saying, "The embargo: the longest genocide in history," during the 1st of May Labor Day March - a call for people to march in support of their local socialist government and the Cuban Revolution - in Havana, Cuba, on May 01, 2015. The commercial, financial and economic embargo enforced by the United States against Cuba went into effect in 1960, nearly two years after the deposition of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship by the Cuban Revolution, and just after Cuba nationalized American-owned Cuban properties without remuneration to the States. The embargo at first did not apply to food and medicine, but was quickly broadened to nearly all U.S. exports. Proponents of the embargo cite repeated human rights violations in the country and the appropriated property as reasons to uphold it. Critics define the embargo as too harsh; the UN General Assembly has passed a resolution each year since 1992 criticizing its ongoing impact, citing it to be in violation of the Charter of the UN and international law. In December of 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama signaled an openness in thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations, which started with diplomatic talks and transitioned to the removal of Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in May of this year. People march by a sign saying, "The embargo: the longest genocide in history," during the 1st of May Labor Day March - a call for people to march in support of their local socialist government and the Cuban Revolution - in Havana, Cuba, on May 01, 2015. The commercial, financial and economic embargo enforced by the United States against Cuba went into effect in 1960, nearly two years after the deposition of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship by the Cuban Revolution, and just after Cuba nationalized American-owned Cuban properties without remuneration to the States. The embargo at first did not apply to food and medicine, but was quickly broadened to nearly all U.S. exports. Proponents of the embargo cite repeated human rights violations in the country and the appropriated property as reasons to uphold it. Critics define the embargo as too harsh; the UN General Assembly has passed a resolution each year since 1992 criticizing its ongoing impact, citing it to be in violation of the Charter of the UN and international law. In December of 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama signaled an openness in thawing of U.S.-Cuban relations, which started with diplomatic talks and transitioned to the removal of Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in May of this year. https://yanapaskova.com/cuba-bulgaria-layers 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_001.jpg This is my father's Army uniform (complete with a five-pointed star — the symbol of Communist rule,) worn during a mandatory two-year service in the Bulgarian military in the 1970s. It is superimposed with Cuban children wearing the uniform of Communist youth as they salute "Votó!" ("S/he voted!") to citizens casting ballots for delegates to the country's unicameral parliament. Voting is not a mandatory activity in Cuba, but frowned upon if not exercised. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. This is my father's Army uniform (complete with a five-pointed star — the symbol of Communist rule,) worn during a mandatory two-year service in the Bulgarian military in the 1970s. It is superimposed with Cuban children wearing the uniform of Communist youth as they salute "Votó!" ("S/he voted!") to citizens casting ballots for delegates to the country's unicameral parliament. Voting is not a mandatory activity in Cuba, but frowned upon if not exercised. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_002.jpg Second from left is a young me of the 1980s, wearing the Communist youth uniform mandatory for all school activities, and a young Cuban student wearing the same in front of an office for the CDR (Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.) The CDR is a network of neighborhood watch organizations peppered across Cuba, that report on any activity they deem counter-revolutionary or a threat to Communist rule. My grandfather spent 5 years of his youth in a Communist labor camp after one such organization noted his lack of participation in the party. Elementary schoolchildren in many Communist countries wear scarves as part of the uniform of the children’s Communist youth: blue or red, depending on their age. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Second from left is a young me of the 1980s, wearing the Communist youth uniform mandatory for all school activities, and a young Cuban student wearing the same in front of an office for the CDR (Committee for the Defense of the Revolution.) The CDR is a network of neighborhood watch organizations peppered across Cuba, that report on any activity they deem counter-revolutionary or a threat to Communist rule. My grandfather spent 5 years of his youth in a Communist labor camp after one such organization noted his lack of participation in the party. Elementary schoolchildren in many Communist countries wear scarves as part of the uniform of the children’s Communist youth: blue or red, depending on their age. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_003.jpg A sketch of a woman’s face decorates the view from my parents' college apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria, toward ubiquitous and poorly maintained Soviet-style blocks, on a street that was then named The Red Rose — this, overlapped with similar Soviet-influenced architecture from the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. Infrastructural decay increased especially after the collapse of Communism and the end of Soviet subsidies to both nations. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. A sketch of a woman’s face decorates the view from my parents' college apartment in Sofia, Bulgaria, toward ubiquitous and poorly maintained Soviet-style blocks, on a street that was then named The Red Rose — this, overlapped with similar Soviet-influenced architecture from the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. Statistics label 7 out of every 10 Cuban houses in need of major repairs, with the province surrounding the capital requiring approximately 300,000 more inhabitable properties. Infrastructural decay increased especially after the collapse of Communism and the end of Soviet subsidies to both nations. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_004.jpg My grandfather (center,) seen walking with Romanian and Bulgarian colleagues in Bulgaria in the 1970s as part of a mandatory work function. The banner in the background reads “Glory to the USSR.” And in Cuba, participants in the First of May Labor Day parade hold posters of Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin and German Communist revolutionary Karl Marx. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. My grandfather (center,) seen walking with Romanian and Bulgarian colleagues in Bulgaria in the 1970s as part of a mandatory work function. The banner in the background reads “Glory to the USSR.” And in Cuba, participants in the First of May Labor Day parade hold posters of Russian Communist leader Vladimir Lenin and German Communist revolutionary Karl Marx. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_005.jpg Propaganda fills the space that lack of advertising leaves on this Havana street: a sign for the Young Communist League, reading "Everything for the Revolution" stretches across a billboard next to the organization's motto "Estudio, Trabajo, Fusil" ("Study, Work, Rifle") and the likes of Cuban revolutionaries Julio Antonio Mella, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. While membership to the organization is described as voluntary — and selective, based on a clean record of pro-government only views — belonging to it is highly encouraged for any social and professional success. In the corner is a photo of my father reading a government-controlled newspaper titled “National Youth,” which, like all newspapers in pre-1989 Bulgaria, selectively reported news skewed in tone by Communist propagandist measures. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Propaganda fills the space that lack of advertising leaves on this Havana street: a sign for the Young Communist League, reading "Everything for the Revolution" stretches across a billboard next to the organization's motto "Estudio, Trabajo, Fusil" ("Study, Work, Rifle") and the likes of Cuban revolutionaries Julio Antonio Mella, Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos. While membership to the organization is described as voluntary — and selective, based on a clean record of pro-government only views — belonging to it is highly encouraged for any social and professional success. In the corner is a photo of my father reading a government-controlled newspaper titled “National Youth,” which, like all newspapers in pre-1989 Bulgaria, selectively reported news skewed in tone by Communist propagandist measures. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_006.jpg A bakery features a portrait of Cuba president Raúl Castro in the port city of Mariel, Cuba -- and a married couple poses for a picture under a portrait of former Bulgarian Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov. Zhivkov was the Totalitarian head of state of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall, November 10, 1989, when he resigned under political pressure over the country's worsening economy, human rights repression, and public unrest. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. A bakery features a portrait of Cuba president Raúl Castro in the port city of Mariel, Cuba -- and a married couple poses for a picture under a portrait of former Bulgarian Communist dictator Todor Zhivkov. Zhivkov was the Totalitarian head of state of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until the day after the fall of the Berlin Wall, November 10, 1989, when he resigned under political pressure over the country's worsening economy, human rights repression, and public unrest. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_007.jpg My grandmother (center) and grandfather (second from right) walk alongside coworkers during the annual Labor Day march in Bulgaria in the 1970s. In the color photo, a man marching during during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, holds onto a makeshift Chilean flag. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. My grandmother (center) and grandfather (second from right) walk alongside coworkers during the annual Labor Day march in Bulgaria in the 1970s. In the color photo, a man marching during during the 1st of May Labor Day March in Havana, Cuba, holds onto a makeshift Chilean flag. This day, simply labeled Día del Trabajo (Labor Day,) is a call for people of all nations to show support for socialist reform — and in Cuba, for the Cuban Revolution. But in Cuba, as in pre-1989 Bulgaria, while attendance is not mandatory, absences from these marches are frequently noted, discouraged, and often followed with punitive measures (social and professional.) Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_008.jpg Because my grandfather refused to join a political party he'd seen seize villagers' property to repay them with imprisonment, violent threats, and beatings in the name of dementing the Communist ideal, he spent 5 tortured years of his youth locked within the brutality of Bulgaria’s Stalinist forced labor camps of the 1950s. Like many lucky survivors, he relished his post-1989 freedom to speak out against oppression, and in support of building a Democratic government as part of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union party -- after the fall of the Berlin Wall brought on the dissolution of Communism in the Soviet Bloc. In the Cuban half of this image, a tired participant in a march organized by the wives, friends, and relatives of imprisoned political dissidents rests by a tree in front of Santa Rita Church in Havana, Cuba. The political prisoner rights group, Damas de Blanco -- translated to Ladies in White -- endures regular beatings and detainment by both undercover and uniformed Cuban police of the Communist state. Many of their loved ones still languish, imprisoned -- and yet, they march. In Catholic countries, Saint Rita is known as the patroness of impossible causes, or of heartbroken women. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Because my grandfather refused to join a political party he'd seen seize villagers' property to repay them with imprisonment, violent threats, and beatings in the name of dementing the Communist ideal, he spent 5 tortured years of his youth locked within the brutality of Bulgaria’s Stalinist forced labor camps of the 1950s. Like many lucky survivors, he relished his post-1989 freedom to speak out against oppression, and in support of building a Democratic government as part of the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union party -- after the fall of the Berlin Wall brought on the dissolution of Communism in the Soviet Bloc. In the Cuban half of this image, a tired participant in a march organized by the wives, friends, and relatives of imprisoned political dissidents rests by a tree in front of Santa Rita Church in Havana, Cuba. The political prisoner rights group, Damas de Blanco -- translated to Ladies in White -- endures regular beatings and detainment by both undercover and uniformed Cuban police of the Communist state. Many of their loved ones still languish, imprisoned -- and yet, they march. In Catholic countries, Saint Rita is known as the patroness of impossible causes, or of heartbroken women. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_009.jpg Bulgarians' longing to see lands beyond their closed borders festered in a social and economic vacuum during the Communist years. In the corner are a few American dollars on a desk at my parents' college apartment, on a street then bearing the name The Red Rose (a symbol of both the Communist revolution, and Bulgaria’s most famed export.) A Sofia store called Korekom that offered a rare glimpse of Western goods — cosmetics, technology, toys, candy, alcohol, cigarettes and magazines otherwise absent from Bulgaria's isolated market — motivated a strong black market demand for the U.S. dollar. Possession of it without government permission, however, left one open to government investigation, a marked dossier that sharply diminished employment opportunities, and worse, imprisonment in a forced labor camp. The foreground shows a girl in Mariel, Cuba, taking orders in a late-night pizza joint recalling American nostalgia, playing mostly U.S. music from the 1980s and 1990s. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. Bulgarians' longing to see lands beyond their closed borders festered in a social and economic vacuum during the Communist years. In the corner are a few American dollars on a desk at my parents' college apartment, on a street then bearing the name The Red Rose (a symbol of both the Communist revolution, and Bulgaria’s most famed export.) A Sofia store called Korekom that offered a rare glimpse of Western goods — cosmetics, technology, toys, candy, alcohol, cigarettes and magazines otherwise absent from Bulgaria's isolated market — motivated a strong black market demand for the U.S. dollar. Possession of it without government permission, however, left one open to government investigation, a marked dossier that sharply diminished employment opportunities, and worse, imprisonment in a forced labor camp. The foreground shows a girl in Mariel, Cuba, taking orders in a late-night pizza joint recalling American nostalgia, playing mostly U.S. music from the 1980s and 1990s. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_010.jpg My father, grandfather and grandmother pose for a picture taken while traveling on one of very few government-approved vacations during the isolation of the Communist years in Bulgaria. And Raymel Medina, 16, (center,) relaxes with friends after an evening dip in the water in the port city of Mariel, Cuba. He says he'd like to learn more about the world, but internet of limited and/or prohibitively expensive access makes this a challenge. Travel outside of the island is also forbidden to most, except to those with government connections, or whose jobs allow it. I remember being young and just as curious about the world beyond the vacuum of Bulgaria's tight borders during the Communist years. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. My father, grandfather and grandmother pose for a picture taken while traveling on one of very few government-approved vacations during the isolation of the Communist years in Bulgaria. And Raymel Medina, 16, (center,) relaxes with friends after an evening dip in the water in the port city of Mariel, Cuba. He says he'd like to learn more about the world, but internet of limited and/or prohibitively expensive access makes this a challenge. Travel outside of the island is also forbidden to most, except to those with government connections, or whose jobs allow it. I remember being young and just as curious about the world beyond the vacuum of Bulgaria's tight borders during the Communist years. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Paskova_Yana_011.jpg This is the Cuban family (sister, nephews, and 93-year-old mother) of a man who fled from Cuba to Florida during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The four have been separated from their uncle, son and brother for 35 years. It is blended with a faraway view of the Brandenburg Gate, as close as you could get from East Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall — photographed during one of few vacations my grandparents and father were allowed to take in the Communist years. International travel was limited to pre-approved countries within the Eastern Bloc, while Western nations were only accessible via coveted government approval. The merging of these images speaks to both the need for and trauma of immigration. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. This is the Cuban family (sister, nephews, and 93-year-old mother) of a man who fled from Cuba to Florida during the Mariel Boatlift of 1980. The four have been separated from their uncle, son and brother for 35 years. It is blended with a faraway view of the Brandenburg Gate, as close as you could get from East Berlin before the fall of the Berlin Wall — photographed during one of few vacations my grandparents and father were allowed to take in the Communist years. International travel was limited to pre-approved countries within the Eastern Bloc, while Western nations were only accessible via coveted government approval. The merging of these images speaks to both the need for and trauma of immigration. Fraying family pictures from pre-1989 Bulgaria inspired this portion of a long-term project on Democracy + Communism. The parallels between them and photos I'd taken in present-day Cuba surface best when juxtaposed — one image layered on top of the other. And so, I attempt to bridge one country’s past to another country’s present — to show that political ideals, its profiteers and its victims, can remain unchanged by time or geography. https://yanapaskova.com/image-editing-story-concepts 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/liquid-rose-gold 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/everywhere 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/on-red-soil 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/before-times 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/after-times 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/city-monochrome 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/fashion 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://yanapaskova.com/arts 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ARTS_01-resized.jpg Props seen in storage at the American Ballet Theater warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey on Wednesday, August 14, 2013. (For The New York Times) Props seen in storage at the American Ballet Theater warehouse in Secaucus, New Jersey on Wednesday, August 14, 2013. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ARTS_14_resized.jpg Lucille Ti Amore performs burlesque dancing during a break in story-telling comedy performances at Under St. Marks in Manhattan, New York on Thursday, March 29, 2012. (For The New York Times) Lucille Ti Amore performs burlesque dancing during a break in story-telling comedy performances at Under St. Marks in Manhattan, New York on Thursday, March 29, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ARTS-01.jpg Vocalist Jack Davey from the band J*Davey rests backstage before performing at SOB's on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in Manhattan, New York. (For The New York Times) Vocalist Jack Davey from the band J*Davey rests backstage before performing at SOB's on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in Manhattan, New York. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Arts-03B.jpg Curtains close on Julia Burrer as a dress rehearsal for the Colleen Thomas Dance program begins at the Dance Theater Workshop in Manhattan, New York on Friday, July 17, 2009. (For The New York Times) Curtains close on Julia Burrer as a dress rehearsal for the Colleen Thomas Dance program begins at the Dance Theater Workshop in Manhattan, New York on Friday, July 17, 2009. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/FET_003.jpg An audience lights up their cell phones instead of lighters, as Sam Smith performs during Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York on December 12, 2014. The crowd, much like the holiday performance, was energized and sparkling, festive under the glow of reindeer horns, glitter and of course, their cell phones. (For Rolling Stone) An audience lights up their cell phones instead of lighters, as Sam Smith performs during Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York on December 12, 2014. The crowd, much like the holiday performance, was energized and sparkling, festive under the glow of reindeer horns, glitter and of course, their cell phones. (For Rolling Stone) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Arts_006-resized.jpg Poet and musician Patti Smith holds an impromptu concert at the Modern Museum of Art in Manhattan, NY on December 18, 2016. (For The New York Times) Poet and musician Patti Smith holds an impromptu concert at the Modern Museum of Art in Manhattan, NY on December 18, 2016. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ARTS-06.jpg Baby Jane Dexter performs cabaret in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. (For The New York Times) Baby Jane Dexter performs cabaret in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Arts_007.jpg A room full of dancers mingle to the sounds of DJ Mike Polarni following a concert at Fabrica de Arte, in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, on April 25, 2014. Fabrica de Arte, which opened in 2014 with the backing of the Ministry of Culture, is an industrial factory turned performance space where established and unknown musicians, painters, photographers, and playwrights alike show their work. While the more open era of Raúl Castro has made it easier to toe the line of artistic self-expression, artists who cross it altogether risk losing the support of government-controlled galleries that display their works. A room full of dancers mingle to the sounds of DJ Mike Polarni following a concert at Fabrica de Arte, in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba, on April 25, 2014. Fabrica de Arte, which opened in 2014 with the backing of the Ministry of Culture, is an industrial factory turned performance space where established and unknown musicians, painters, photographers, and playwrights alike show their work. While the more open era of Raúl Castro has made it easier to toe the line of artistic self-expression, artists who cross it altogether risk losing the support of government-controlled galleries that display their works. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ARTS-07.jpg The pop musician Lady Gaga performs at Terminal 5 on Saturday, May 02, 2009 in Manhattan, New York. (For The New York Times) The pop musician Lady Gaga performs at Terminal 5 on Saturday, May 02, 2009 in Manhattan, New York. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Arts-09.jpg Rapper T.I. performs at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday, September 30, 2008. (For The New York Times) Rapper T.I. performs at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan, New York on Tuesday, September 30, 2008. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ARTS_13_resized.jpg Wiz Khalifa performs at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY on August 02, 2012. Wiz Khalifa performs at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach in Wantagh, NY on August 02, 2012. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Arts_012-resized.jpg A model performs in the Thom Browne show during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the New York Public Library in Manhattan, New York on Monday, February 13, 2012. (For The New York Times) A model performs in the Thom Browne show during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at the New York Public Library in Manhattan, New York on Monday, February 13, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ARTS-02.jpg An X marks the place where members of the group Shwayze will enter the stage to perform at Blender in Manhattan, New York on Wednesday, October 08, 2008. (For The New York Times) An X marks the place where members of the group Shwayze will enter the stage to perform at Blender in Manhattan, New York on Wednesday, October 08, 2008. (For The New York Times) https://yanapaskova.com/pres-campaigns 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_001.jpg (L-R) Actor John Voight peeks out behind the curtains, from which U.S. Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) is about to enter a rally with him and former FBI director Louis J. Freeh at the Fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City, Florida, on Sunday, January 20, 2008; and an American flag sits folded on a chair backstage as U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at the Bluegrass Cafe in Tama, Iowa, on Nov. 19, 2007. (Photo by: Yana Paskova for The New York Times) (L-R) Actor John Voight peeks out behind the curtains, from which U.S. Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) is about to enter a rally with him and former FBI director Louis J. Freeh at the Fantasy of Flight museum in Polk City, Florida, on Sunday, January 20, 2008; and an American flag sits folded on a chair backstage as U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at the Bluegrass Cafe in Tama, Iowa, on Nov. 19, 2007. (Photo by: Yana Paskova for The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Voters-29.jpg A crowd at the Festhalle barn at the Amana Colonies in Amana, Iowa, listens to Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speak on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. (For The New York Times) A crowd at the Festhalle barn at the Amana Colonies in Amana, Iowa, listens to Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speak on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/2007-2009_03B.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (D-NY) rests for a moment while campaigning at the Clear Lake 4th of July Parade in Clear Lake, Iowa, on July 4, 2007. She brought along her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to greet the crowd. U.S. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (D-NY) rests for a moment while campaigning at the Clear Lake 4th of July Parade in Clear Lake, Iowa, on July 4, 2007. She brought along her husband, former President Bill Clinton, to greet the crowd. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-18.jpg (L-R) Volunteers for U.S. Presidential Hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and his rival candidate, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) place signs outside the Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum in North High School in Des Moines, Iowa, on Dec. 1, 2007. The forum gathered opposing democratic candidates with a month left until the Iowa caucus. (For Getty Images) (L-R) Volunteers for U.S. Presidential Hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and his rival candidate, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) place signs outside the Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum in North High School in Des Moines, Iowa, on Dec. 1, 2007. The forum gathered opposing democratic candidates with a month left until the Iowa caucus. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Voters-26.jpg Potential supporters of U.S. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (D-NY) listen to her speak at an economy rally in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, on Monday, March 31, 2008. The Senator is hoping to woo crucial to her votes in the state before its primary on April 22, 2008. (For Newsweek) Potential supporters of U.S. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (D-NY) listen to her speak at an economy rally in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, on Monday, March 31, 2008. The Senator is hoping to woo crucial to her votes in the state before its primary on April 22, 2008. (For Newsweek) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-22.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) raises his hand as he speaks to a crowd gathered in Chariton, Iowa, on Nov. 08, 2007. (For Newsweek) U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) raises his hand as he speaks to a crowd gathered in Chariton, Iowa, on Nov. 08, 2007. (For Newsweek) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-02.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee (R-AR) jokes around with five-year-old Luke Marks, from Tampa, Florida, by a polling site at the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center, where he stopped by to greet voters and potential supporters in Tampa, Florida, on the state's primary day, Tuesday, January 29, 2008. (For The New York Times) U.S. Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee (R-AR) jokes around with five-year-old Luke Marks, from Tampa, Florida, by a polling site at the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center, where he stopped by to greet voters and potential supporters in Tampa, Florida, on the state's primary day, Tuesday, January 29, 2008. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-05.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee (R-AR) speaks at a “Huckabee for President” rally at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday, January 23, 2008. (For The New York Times) U.S. Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee (R-AR) speaks at a “Huckabee for President” rally at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday, January 23, 2008. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates_05b.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) holds a roundtable discussion with undecided caucus goers on December 31, 2007, in Sioux City, Iowa. (For The New York Times) U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) holds a roundtable discussion with undecided caucus goers on December 31, 2007, in Sioux City, Iowa. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-29.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D-IL) greets a crowd of about 4,000 people at an event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Oct. 15, 2007. U.S. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D-IL) greets a crowd of about 4,000 people at an event in Madison, Wisconsin, on Oct. 15, 2007. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-11.jpg U.S. Presidential Hopeful Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) prepares to speak during an event at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Dec. 1, 2007. With a month left until the Iowa caucus, Edwards is in close competition with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for the democratic party candidate nomination. (For The New York Times) U.S. Presidential Hopeful Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) prepares to speak during an event at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Dec. 1, 2007. With a month left until the Iowa caucus, Edwards is in close competition with Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for the democratic party candidate nomination. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-20.jpg (L-R) Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks to a crowd gathered in Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007; and U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks at the Grundy Center High School in Grundy Center, Iowa, on Nov. 18, 2007. (L-R) Presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks to a crowd gathered in Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007; and U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks at the Grundy Center High School in Grundy Center, Iowa, on Nov. 18, 2007. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-17b.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), as seen through the window of a skating rink, speaks to a crowd gathered in Chariton, Iowa, on Nov. 08, 2007. U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), as seen through the window of a skating rink, speaks to a crowd gathered in Chariton, Iowa, on Nov. 08, 2007. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates-15.jpg After a day of campaign stops, U.S. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (D-NY) talks on the phone as she and her staff prepare to depart the Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, April 02, 2008. The Senator is hoping to woo crucial to her votes in Pennsylvania before its primary on April 22, 2008. (For The New York Times) After a day of campaign stops, U.S. Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (D-NY) talks on the phone as she and her staff prepare to depart the Pittsburgh International Airport in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, April 02, 2008. The Senator is hoping to woo crucial to her votes in Pennsylvania before its primary on April 22, 2008. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Voters-01.jpg (L-R) U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks to a crowd gathered in Chariton, Iowa, on Nov. 08, 2007; and Donald Davis, next to his wife, Alice Davis and a friend, Judy Manning, from Wayne, Iowa, listen to U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) speak at a roundtable discussion with undecided caucus-goers on December 29, 2007, in Washington, Iowa. (L-R) U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks to a crowd gathered in Chariton, Iowa, on Nov. 08, 2007; and Donald Davis, next to his wife, Alice Davis and a friend, Judy Manning, from Wayne, Iowa, listen to U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) speak at a roundtable discussion with undecided caucus-goers on December 29, 2007, in Washington, Iowa. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Candidates_10b.jpg U.S. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D-IL) plays a 3-on-3 basketball game in Kokomo, Indiana, on Friday, April 25, 2008. Obama and his rival, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) are campaigning in the state in the lead-up to its May 6th Democratic Presidential Primary. (For The New York Times) U.S. Presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D-IL) plays a 3-on-3 basketball game in Kokomo, Indiana, on Friday, April 25, 2008. Obama and his rival, Hillary Clinton (D-NY) are campaigning in the state in the lead-up to its May 6th Democratic Presidential Primary. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_14.jpg Jim Wilson, 68, from Buckingham, Virginia, who has followed Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) since the Iowa State Fair, waits for him to arrive to the Ingham Lincoln Day Breakfast at the Chisholm Hills Banquet Center in Lansing, Michigan on Saturday, February 25, 2012. (For The New York Times) Jim Wilson, 68, from Buckingham, Virginia, who has followed Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) since the Iowa State Fair, waits for him to arrive to the Ingham Lincoln Day Breakfast at the Chisholm Hills Banquet Center in Lansing, Michigan on Saturday, February 25, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_01.jpg Secret Service agents watch Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) greet the crowd after speaking at Bakers of Milford in Milford, Michigan on Thursday, February 23, 2012. (For The New York Times) Secret Service agents watch Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) greet the crowd after speaking at Bakers of Milford in Milford, Michigan on Thursday, February 23, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_02.jpg A sign is reflected in a video camera as the media wait for Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) to speak at Meridian Bioscience in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, February 20, 2012. (For The New York Times) A sign is reflected in a video camera as the media wait for Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) to speak at Meridian Bioscience in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday, February 20, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_04.jpg (L-R) Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) greets the audience before speaking at a town hall meeting at Taylor Winfield in Youngstown, Ohio on Monday, March 05, 2012; and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) addresses the Detroit Economic Club at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Friday, February 24, 2012. (For The New York Times) (L-R) Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) greets the audience before speaking at a town hall meeting at Taylor Winfield in Youngstown, Ohio on Monday, March 05, 2012; and Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) addresses the Detroit Economic Club at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Friday, February 24, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_09.jpg Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) pauses while addressing the Detroit Economic Club at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Friday, February 24, 2012. (For The New York Times) Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) pauses while addressing the Detroit Economic Club at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Friday, February 24, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_07.jpg An audience awaits Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) to arrive to a rally at Byrne Electrical Specialists in Rockford, Michigan on Monday, February 27, 2012. (For The New York Times) An audience awaits Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) to arrive to a rally at Byrne Electrical Specialists in Rockford, Michigan on Monday, February 27, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_05.jpg A man peeks out of a door after Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) spoke at a town hall meeting at Taylor Winfield in Youngstown, Ohio on Monday, March 05, 2012. (For The New York Times) (For The New York Times) A man peeks out of a door after Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) spoke at a town hall meeting at Taylor Winfield in Youngstown, Ohio on Monday, March 05, 2012. (For The New York Times) (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_08.jpg A member of the Secret Service peeks the the outside world from the tent where Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) spoke near the Montgomery Inn Restaurant at The Boathouse in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, March 03, 2012. (For The New York Times) A member of the Secret Service peeks the the outside world from the tent where Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) spoke near the Montgomery Inn Restaurant at The Boathouse in Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday, March 03, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_06.jpg Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) speaks at a rally at West Hills Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday, March 04, 2012. (For The New York Times) Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) speaks at a rally at West Hills Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday, March 04, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_10.jpg Ann Romney, wife of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA), listens to him speak with reporters on their plane before it takes off from Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, March 06, 2012. (For The New York Times) Ann Romney, wife of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA), listens to him speak with reporters on their plane before it takes off from Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday, March 06, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_11.jpg Mary Beth Browder poses for a portrait while Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) speaks at a rally at West Hills Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday, March 04, 2012. (For The New York Times) Mary Beth Browder poses for a portrait while Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) speaks at a rally at West Hills Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee on Sunday, March 04, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_12.jpg Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) greets the crowd after speaking at a rally at American Posts in Toledo, Ohio on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. (For The New York Times) Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) greets the crowd after speaking at a rally at American Posts in Toledo, Ohio on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_13.jpg (L-R) Jennifer Harper cheers while watching Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) take a slight lead over his rival, Rick Santorum (R-PA) in the battle for primary elections in Romney's home state in Novi, Michigan on Tuesday, February 28, 2012; and Scott Czasak screams out in joy while watching the results of primary elections in the home state of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA), as it is announced he has defeated his rival, Rick Santorum (R-PA) in Novi, Michigan on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. (L-R) Jennifer Harper cheers while watching Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) take a slight lead over his rival, Rick Santorum (R-PA) in the battle for primary elections in Romney's home state in Novi, Michigan on Tuesday, February 28, 2012; and Scott Czasak screams out in joy while watching the results of primary elections in the home state of Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA), as it is announced he has defeated his rival, Rick Santorum (R-PA) in Novi, Michigan on Tuesday, February 28, 2012. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/ROM_15.jpg Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) leaves Western MIchigan University after speaking there, in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Friday, February 24, 2012. (For The New York Times) Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MA) leaves Western MIchigan University after speaking there, in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Friday, February 24, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_031-resized.jpg (L-R) U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) arrives to Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016, where former candidate Ben Carson gave him his endorsement; and U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) campaigns near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York on April 07, 2016. (Left image for TIME magazine, Right image for Washington Post) (L-R) U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) arrives to Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016, where former candidate Ben Carson gave him his endorsement; and U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) campaigns near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York on April 07, 2016. (Left image for TIME magazine, Right image for Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_032.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016. Former candidate Ben Carson endorsed Trump during that day's press conference. (For TIME magazine) U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016. Former candidate Ben Carson endorsed Trump during that day's press conference. (For TIME magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_031.jpg A small and fascinating subset of Muslim Americans express an interest in voting for U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. In Florida, a particularly large proportion of Muslim Republicans (approx. 2 out of every 3, according to CAIR,) have such leanings - Trump's business background and apparent ability to self-finance eclipsing his anti-immigrant, Islamophobic rhetoric as priorities. Adam Warshauer, 37, seen here posing for a portrait with a passage from the Surat Al-Qalam in the Koran in Delray Beach, has a Jewish father and Christian mother, and became a Sufi Muslim at 22. Warshauer says he plans to support Trump, especially if he becomes the Republican nominee for president, and that he does not believe he wants to ban Muslims' entry to the country because of a dislike for them. “Most are outraged at Trump saying he wants to ban Muslims from entering America, but I support that as a Muslim person, because we have to stop what is happening and work with other Muslim countries to stop terrorism. An example of Trump being a problem solver is his proposal for building the wall along the Mexico border - that's a solution to illegal immigration. But I am worried about his approach to foreign policy, since he is a bit aggressive. Then again, Putin respects him and that's good; we want Putin to respect our country.” Warshauer adds that "Trump says a lot of dumb things, and I'd like to help him. I’m not necessarily a ‘Trump Trump Trump!’ first pumper, but I am being a realist, and if he is going to win, I want to support him to make the best decisions for our country." (For TIME magazine) A small and fascinating subset of Muslim Americans express an interest in voting for U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump. In Florida, a particularly large proportion of Muslim Republicans (approx. 2 out of every 3, according to CAIR,) have such leanings - Trump's business background and apparent ability to self-finance eclipsing his anti-immigrant, Islamophobic rhetoric as priorities. Adam Warshauer, 37, seen here posing for a portrait with a passage from the Surat Al-Qalam in the Koran in Delray Beach, has a Jewish father and Christian mother, and became a Sufi Muslim at 22. Warshauer says he plans to support Trump, especially if he becomes the Republican nominee for president, and that he does not believe he wants to ban Muslims' entry to the country because of a dislike for them. “Most are outraged at Trump saying he wants to ban Muslims from entering America, but I support that as a Muslim person, because we have to stop what is happening and work with other Muslim countries to stop terrorism. An example of Trump being a problem solver is his proposal for building the wall along the Mexico border - that's a solution to illegal immigration. But I am worried about his approach to foreign policy, since he is a bit aggressive. Then again, Putin respects him and that's good; we want Putin to respect our country.” Warshauer adds that "Trump says a lot of dumb things, and I'd like to help him. I’m not necessarily a ‘Trump Trump Trump!’ first pumper, but I am being a realist, and if he is going to win, I want to support him to make the best decisions for our country." (For TIME magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/CLINTON-BRONX_Paskova_026-resized.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Bronx borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. ride the subway from the 161st Street to the 170th Street subway station in the Bronx, NY, on April 07, 2016. (For Washington Post) U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Bronx borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. ride the subway from the 161st Street to the 170th Street subway station in the Bronx, NY, on April 07, 2016. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_036-B.jpg A member of the Secret Service scans the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at Jackson Diner in Queens, NY, on April 11, 2016. (For Washington Post) A member of the Secret Service scans the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at Jackson Diner in Queens, NY, on April 11, 2016. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_036-resized.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY),) on left, speaks at Jackson Diner in Queens, NY, on April 11, 2016. Clinton is seen in the restaurant door's reflection. (For Washington Post) U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY),) on left, speaks at Jackson Diner in Queens, NY, on April 11, 2016. Clinton is seen in the restaurant door's reflection. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Clinton-Atlantic-City_PASKOVA_025-resized.jpg Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (seen in the glass's reflection) speaks in front the shuttered Trump Plaza casino on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, NJ, on July 06, 2016. (For Washington Post) Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (seen in the glass's reflection) speaks in front the shuttered Trump Plaza casino on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, NJ, on July 06, 2016. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_039-B.jpg (L-R) U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at Jackson Diner in Queens, NY, on April 11, 2016; and campaigns near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx earlier that same day. (For Washington Post) (L-R) U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at Jackson Diner in Queens, NY, on April 11, 2016; and campaigns near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx earlier that same day. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_040-B.jpg Pam Becker, 51, poses for a portrait with the name of U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) written on her finger at a rally for candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. Becker, a Democrat, says of her attendance to a Trump rally: "It's hard to argue against someone if I don't have the knowledge. Simply calling people names is not an argument." (For TIME magazine) Pam Becker, 51, poses for a portrait with the name of U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) written on her finger at a rally for candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. Becker, a Democrat, says of her attendance to a Trump rally: "It's hard to argue against someone if I don't have the knowledge. Simply calling people names is not an argument." (For TIME magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_041-B.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at a Women for Hillary campaign event at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan, NY, on April 18, 2016. (For Washington Post) U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D-NY) speaks at a Women for Hillary campaign event at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel in Manhattan, NY, on April 18, 2016. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_037-B.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his wife, Mary Jane O'Meara Sanders, wave goodbye to a crowd gathered at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, NY, on April 13, 2016. (For Washington Post) U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and his wife, Mary Jane O'Meara Sanders, wave goodbye to a crowd gathered at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, NY, on April 13, 2016. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_038-B.jpg A Secret Service agent surveys the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at a rally at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. (For TIME magazine) A Secret Service agent surveys the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at a rally at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. (For TIME magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Paskova_039-resized.jpg A Secret Service agents and police officers survey the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at a rally at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. (For TIME magazine) Photo by: Yana Paskova A Secret Service agents and police officers survey the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at a rally at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. (For TIME magazine) Photo by: Yana Paskova https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/3N4A8316-resized.jpg Supporters of former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gather near the fenced-off perimeter of the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, PA, in protest against Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) nomination for U.S. President, as she spoke inside, at the Democratic National Convention on July 28, 2016. (For NBC News) Supporters of former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) gather near the fenced-off perimeter of the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia, PA, in protest against Hillary Clinton's (D-NY) nomination for U.S. President, as she spoke inside, at the Democratic National Convention on July 28, 2016. (For NBC News) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_042-B.jpg Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets the audience after speaking at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Manhattan, NY, on February 16, 2016. (For Washington Post) Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton greets the audience after speaking at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Manhattan, NY, on February 16, 2016. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/3N4A1720-resized.jpg Michelle Palmer, 36, U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to speak at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, NY, on April 13, 2016. (For Washington Post) Michelle Palmer, 36, U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to speak at Washington Square Park in Manhattan, NY, on April 13, 2016. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/3N4A2483-resized.jpg A crowd awaits Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to speak at the Javits Center in Manhattan, NY, on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 08, 2016, as the polls began to show Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as the presumptive winner. (For NPR) A crowd awaits Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to speak at the Javits Center in Manhattan, NY, on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 08, 2016, as the polls began to show Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as the presumptive winner. (For NPR) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_045-B.jpg (L-R) A Secret Service agent surveys the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at a rally at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. (For TIME magazine) (L-R) A Secret Service agent surveys the crowd as U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) speaks at a rally at Sunset Cove Amphitheater in Boca Raton, FL, on March 13, 2016. (For TIME magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_039.jpg A staffer at the Republican Presidential Debate is seen backstage of the media Spin Room at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, on March 10, 2016. (For TIME magazine) A staffer at the Republican Presidential Debate is seen backstage of the media Spin Room at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, on March 10, 2016. (For TIME magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_050b.jpg U.S. First lady Melania Trump listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters upon their arrival to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, NY, on September 24, 2019. The president's interaction with the press is often adversarial. (For Reuters) U.S. First lady Melania Trump listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters upon their arrival to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, NY, on September 24, 2019. The president's interaction with the press is often adversarial. (For Reuters) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_051.jpg Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, drew over 20,000 participants and took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks during a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, drew over 20,000 participants and took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_052.jpg Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) greets the audience after speaking at a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, drew over 20,000 participants and took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) greets the audience after speaking at a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, drew over 20,000 participants and took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_053.jpg An audience at a "Bernie's Back" rally listens to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduce Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) during a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, drew over 20,000 participants and took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) An audience at a "Bernie's Back" rally listens to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) introduce Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) during a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, drew over 20,000 participants and took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_054.jpg U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he and first lady Melania Trump arrive to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, NY, on September 24, 2019. The president's interaction with the press is often adversarial. (For Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he and first lady Melania Trump arrive to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, NY, on September 24, 2019. The president's interaction with the press is often adversarial. (For Reuters) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_055.jpg Michael Bloomberg prepares to speak at the Christian Cultural Center on November 17, 2019 in Brooklyn, NY. During the speech, the former New York mayor apologized for supporting stop-and-frisk policies during his term, which have drawn criticism for targeting people of color in unnecessary search and arrest. Bloomberg entered the crowded Democratic presidential primary race shortly thereafter. (For Getty Images) Michael Bloomberg prepares to speak at the Christian Cultural Center on November 17, 2019 in Brooklyn, NY. During the speech, the former New York mayor apologized for supporting stop-and-frisk policies during his term, which have drawn criticism for targeting people of color in unnecessary search and arrest. Bloomberg entered the crowded Democratic presidential primary race shortly thereafter. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_056.jpg Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a town hall event in the Bronx, NY, on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez met with veterans and registered nurses and discussed protecting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care system from privatization. She endorsed Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for presidential candidate in October at a rally of 20,000+. (For Bloomberg News) Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a town hall event in the Bronx, NY, on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez met with veterans and registered nurses and discussed protecting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care system from privatization. She endorsed Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for presidential candidate in October at a rally of 20,000+. (For Bloomberg News) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Pres_Campaigns_057.jpg Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) becomes emotional while being greeted by 20,000-person audience upon arriving to a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) becomes emotional while being greeted by 20,000-person audience upon arriving to a "Bernie's Back" rally at Queensbridge Park in Queens, NY, on October 19, 2019. The rally, at which Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) endorsed Sanders, took place shortly after Sanders was hospitalized for a heart attack at the start of the month. (For Reuters) https://yanapaskova.com/trump-gawkers 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_001.jpg Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, is reflected in the eyes of a man gazing up at it in New York, NY on December 31, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, is reflected in the eyes of a man gazing up at it in New York, NY on December 31, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_002.jpg A man stares up at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 28, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A man stares up at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 28, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_003.jpg Passersby walk through a throng of people photographing Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 22, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? Passersby walk through a throng of people photographing Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 22, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_006.jpg A woman photographs Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 09, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A woman photographs Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 09, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_042.jpg Debra Tomarin takes selfie in front of Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 08, 2016. Tomarin is a real estate agent and retired psychotherapist - and lives in Palm Beach, FL, down the street from Trump's Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. On people protesting Trump's nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency - a man who has sued the EPA more than a dozen times to block air, water and climate protections - outside of Trump Tower, she said: "Protesting is irrelevant and wrong, and won't make a difference. He won't even see it, and people don't stop to pay attention. We have to move on. It's too late to sell anti-Donald Trump buttons. They should be asked to leave. Sure, they have a right to be out here, but what about his right to live in a home without someone standing in front of it with a sign?" On climate change, she said, "I believe climate change is real. I am not concerned about this because of his choices of cabinet people and because his children understand climate change is real. But maybe he hasn't been paying attention so far, being so busy with his business, and now he has to." On Pruitt as the choice to lead the EPA, she said: "Pruitt as the head of the EPA is an interesting appointee. I think that's making a statement that he'll turn this guy around. This guy, Pruitt, is aware of climate change despite being against it. Trump did this because he's gotta please the people. Trump has a strategy - he takes the underdog and turns him around because he likes a challenge. Sometimes people do the opposite of what they want to do, because they like a challenge. There's a method to his madness. You don't want a guy you can just push over, and he wants a challenge in this guy. This is his strategy - who's going to pay attention to a guy who is simply for battling climate change as opposed to a guy who's against it, yet actually ends up battling it? Now that's a wake-up call." - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? Debra Tomarin takes selfie in front of Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 08, 2016. Tomarin is a real estate agent and retired psychotherapist - and lives in Palm Beach, FL, down the street from Trump's Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago. On people protesting Trump's nomination of Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency - a man who has sued the EPA more than a dozen times to block air, water and climate protections - outside of Trump Tower, she said: "Protesting is irrelevant and wrong, and won't make a difference. He won't even see it, and people don't stop to pay attention. We have to move on. It's too late to sell anti-Donald Trump buttons. They should be asked to leave. Sure, they have a right to be out here, but what about his right to live in a home without someone standing in front of it with a sign?" On climate change, she said, "I believe climate change is real. I am not concerned about this because of his choices of cabinet people and because his children understand climate change is real. But maybe he hasn't been paying attention so far, being so busy with his business, and now he has to." On Pruitt as the choice to lead the EPA, she said: "Pruitt as the head of the EPA is an interesting appointee. I think that's making a statement that he'll turn this guy around. This guy, Pruitt, is aware of climate change despite being against it. Trump did this because he's gotta please the people. Trump has a strategy - he takes the underdog and turns him around because he likes a challenge. Sometimes people do the opposite of what they want to do, because they like a challenge. There's a method to his madness. You don't want a guy you can just push over, and he wants a challenge in this guy. This is his strategy - who's going to pay attention to a guy who is simply for battling climate change as opposed to a guy who's against it, yet actually ends up battling it? Now that's a wake-up call." - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_008A.jpg A woman points to Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 14, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A woman points to Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 14, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_005.jpg A woman pauses to gaze at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 11, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A woman pauses to gaze at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 11, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_019B.jpg TRUMPTOWER (L-R) Hillary Ewing and her aunt, Sally Weiner, join thousands of people in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, protesting this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_013.jpg (L-R) Fr. Ambroise Pellaumail, Fr. Louis De Blignieres, and Fr. Reginald Rivoire, from Fraternite Saint Vincent Ferrier in France, walk by Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? (L-R) Fr. Ambroise Pellaumail, Fr. Louis De Blignieres, and Fr. Reginald Rivoire, from Fraternite Saint Vincent Ferrier in France, walk by Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_015.jpg A passerby photographs Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, from a cab in New York, NY on November 25, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A passerby photographs Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, from a cab in New York, NY on November 25, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_056.jpg A protester looks up at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 09, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A protester looks up at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 09, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_043.jpg Passersby walk to Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 28, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? Passersby walk to Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 28, 2016. - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_028.jpg David Skellington, doorman of Trump Tower of eight years, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, looks out onto passersby photographing the building in New York, NY on December 15, 2016. On crowds constantly recording Trump Tower, Skellington said: "It's interesting, you see a lot of people, it's history. But this could be awkward, so many people taking pictures. I'd rather be behind the camera. My family and friends are always seeing me on the news. Tourists say, 'you're famous.' " - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? David Skellington, doorman of Trump Tower of eight years, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, looks out onto passersby photographing the building in New York, NY on December 15, 2016. On crowds constantly recording Trump Tower, Skellington said: "It's interesting, you see a lot of people, it's history. But this could be awkward, so many people taking pictures. I'd rather be behind the camera. My family and friends are always seeing me on the news. Tourists say, 'you're famous.' " - "Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, through in-depth interviews and still photos - a project I started the day after the election. At first, I simply followed where my assignments sent me, but then found myself returning to the place on my own, unable to look away - and I wasn’t alone. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to Trump Tower (and by extension, to the man in the tower,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_008.jpg A group of boys gather to photograph Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 07, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A group of boys gather to photograph Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on December 07, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_007.jpg A passerby gazes at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 28, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A passerby gazes at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in Manhattan, NY on November 28, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_009.jpg A passerby takes a look at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on November 29, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A passerby takes a look at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on November 29, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Trump_Gawkers_010.jpg A passerby points up at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on November 29, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? A passerby points up at Trump Tower, the current residence of Republican President elect Donald Trump, in New York, NY on November 29, 2016. - “Trump Gawkers" is a visceral look at what draws people to Trump Tower, the current residence of U.S. President elect Donald Trump. Hoards of people undertake the trek, bearing security and weather roadblocks, to stare, gawk, absorb, record. The magnetism to the tower (and by extension, to the man inside it,) manifests in the sheer numbers of daily visitors, as well as in the fascination etched across their faces. Upon first look, the time so many spend there seems like sport and amusement, but underneath upturned eyes and selfie smiles prevails an undercurrent of anxiety - and not just for those who didn't want Trump in the Oval Office. Some of the electorate that voted against Hillary is now unsure for which version of Trump they voted. People's upward gazes, no matter their political views, seek answers: How could this happen? Or now that it has, what will it mean? https://yanapaskova.com/people 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_013-resized.jpg Philanthropist Jacqueline de Chollet poses for a portrait inside her apartment in Manhattan, New York, on September 06, 2016. De Chollet is the founder of the Veerni Project in Jodhpur and the Global Foundation for Humanity U.S., which support the health and education of adolescent girls in U.S.A and India. (For NPR) Philanthropist Jacqueline de Chollet poses for a portrait inside her apartment in Manhattan, New York, on September 06, 2016. De Chollet is the founder of the Veerni Project in Jodhpur and the Global Foundation for Humanity U.S., which support the health and education of adolescent girls in U.S.A and India. (For NPR) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_014.jpg New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media after Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Manhattan, NY, on February 16, 2016. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media after Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Manhattan, NY, on February 16, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_003B.jpg New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks at the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlantic City, NJ, on April 05, 2017. (For The New York Times) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks at the Hard Rock Cafe in Atlantic City, NJ, on April 05, 2017. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_001-resized.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) arrives to Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016, where former candidate Ben Carson gave him his endorsement. U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) arrives to Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, FL, on March 11, 2016, where former candidate Ben Carson gave him his endorsement. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_012-resized.jpg Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the media after keynoting a Women's Empowerment Event at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York on March 10, 2015. Clinton answered questions about recent allegations of an improperly used email account. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks to the media after keynoting a Women's Empowerment Event at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York on March 10, 2015. Clinton answered questions about recent allegations of an improperly used email account. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_008.jpg Genetic counselor Jenna Miller takes a phone call at the genetic testing lab Recombine in Manhattan, NY. (For The New York Times) Genetic counselor Jenna Miller takes a phone call at the genetic testing lab Recombine in Manhattan, NY. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_013B-resized.jpg Mayor Bill De Blasio listens to a question during a Green New Deal rally At Trump Tower in New York City on May 13 2019. Mayor de Blasio recently unveiled his Green New Deal to reduce carbon emissions in New York City. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) Mayor Bill De Blasio listens to a question during a Green New Deal rally At Trump Tower in New York City on May 13 2019. Mayor de Blasio recently unveiled his Green New Deal to reduce carbon emissions in New York City. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_016-resized.jpg Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, takes a call near the Loews Regency hotel on Park Ave on April 13, 2018 in New York City. Following FBI raids on his home, office and hotel room, the Department of Justice announced that they are placing him under criminal investigation. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, takes a call near the Loews Regency hotel on Park Ave on April 13, 2018 in New York City. Following FBI raids on his home, office and hotel room, the Department of Justice announced that they are placing him under criminal investigation. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_007.jpg Jewel Allison, an alleged victim of sexual assault by actor Bill Cosby, closes her eyes while posing for a portrait her apartment in Brooklyn, NY, on March 05, 2015. (For Washington Post) Jewel Allison, an alleged victim of sexual assault by actor Bill Cosby, closes her eyes while posing for a portrait her apartment in Brooklyn, NY, on March 05, 2015. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_004.jpg Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient Shigeru Ban poses for a portrait in Manhattan, NY. (For The New York Times) Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient Shigeru Ban poses for a portrait in Manhattan, NY. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_010-resized.jpg Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_011-resized.jpg Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks at the Gates Foundation Inaugural Goalkeepers event on September 20, 2017 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_012-resized.jpg Steven Turner, tennis instructor and Kabbalah scholar, poses for a portrait after practicing tennis at St. Catherine's Park in Manhattan, NY on August 22, 2016. (For The New York Times) Assignment ID: 30194388A Steven Turner, tennis instructor and Kabbalah scholar, poses for a portrait after practicing tennis at St. Catherine's Park in Manhattan, NY on August 22, 2016. (For The New York Times) Assignment ID: 30194388A https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_021-resized.jpg The Visions In Motion dance group prepares to march down Eastern Parkway for the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images The Visions In Motion dance group prepares to march down Eastern Parkway for the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_014-resized.jpg Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_001.jpg Erin Laubenheimer, in a yoga pose on the rooftop of her apartment building in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, on June 26, 2009. Laubenheimer is an artist looking for work, who does yoga in her spare time to reduce stress. (For The New York Times) Erin Laubenheimer, in a yoga pose on the rooftop of her apartment building in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, on June 26, 2009. Laubenheimer is an artist looking for work, who does yoga in her spare time to reduce stress. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_020--resized.jpg Twenty-three-year-old Patrick Stewart, a lifelong fan of the MTA subway system who makes his own train T-shirts, poses for a portrait on the Queens-bound platform of the N, Q and 7 trains' Queensboro Plaza station in Queens, NY, on September 04, 2017. (For The New York Times) Assignment ID: 20195127A Twenty-three-year-old Patrick Stewart, a lifelong fan of the MTA subway system who makes his own train T-shirts, poses for a portrait on the Queens-bound platform of the N, Q and 7 trains' Queensboro Plaza station in Queens, NY, on September 04, 2017. (For The New York Times) Assignment ID: 20195127A https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_008-resized.jpg Looking through the grass at Ft. Tilden beach on June 18, 2017. Looking through the grass at Ft. Tilden beach on June 18, 2017. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_019-resized.jpg British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gives a press conference in the Security Council Stakeout area of the United Nations Headquarters after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (not seen) on July 22, 2016 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gives a press conference in the Security Council Stakeout area of the United Nations Headquarters after meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon (not seen) on July 22, 2016 in New York City. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_023B-resized.jpg Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a town hall event in the Bronx, New York, U.S., on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez met with veterans and registered nurses and discussed protecting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system from privatization. Photographer: Yana Paskova/Bloomberg Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a town hall event in the Bronx, New York, U.S., on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Ocasio-Cortez met with veterans and registered nurses and discussed protecting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system from privatization. Photographer: Yana Paskova/Bloomberg https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_002-resized.jpg Fashion designer Nanette Lepore poses for a portrait in the hallway outside of her offices in Manhattan, New York on January 21, 2014. (For The New York Times) Fashion designer Nanette Lepore poses for a portrait in the hallway outside of her offices in Manhattan, New York on January 21, 2014. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_003A-resized.jpg Aida Andreu, a Republican in Miami, FL, poses for a portrait in the restaurant where she works, La Carreta, on March 11, 2016. She says she would like to vote for U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) in the state's Tuesday primary because she believes he is capable of changing America for the better. As far as Ted Cruz (R-TX) or Marco Rubio (R-FL), she says she does not believe either to be ready for a presidency, and is not influenced by their Cuban roots. (For Washington Post) Aida Andreu, a Republican in Miami, FL, poses for a portrait in the restaurant where she works, La Carreta, on March 11, 2016. She says she would like to vote for U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) in the state's Tuesday primary because she believes he is capable of changing America for the better. As far as Ted Cruz (R-TX) or Marco Rubio (R-FL), she says she does not believe either to be ready for a presidency, and is not influenced by their Cuban roots. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_015-resized.jpg Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal Thousands of people gather in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY, on August 14, 2017, to protest this weekend's violent white nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_022-resized.jpg Audience members immerse themselves into their phones while a fashion show goes on just in front to the tunes of singer Julee Cruise during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 08, 2016 in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Audience members immerse themselves into their phones while a fashion show goes on just in front to the tunes of singer Julee Cruise during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week on September 08, 2016 in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_012.jpg Film director and screenwriter Mike Cahill fixes himself up during a portrait in his apartment in Brooklyn, NY, on July 11, 2014. (For Washington Post) Film director and screenwriter Mike Cahill fixes himself up during a portrait in his apartment in Brooklyn, NY, on July 11, 2014. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_016B.jpg Noemi Perez poses for a portrait during a teen "anti-prom," an alternative for students from the High School of Fashion Industries, at The New York Public Library, on Friday, June 03, 2011 in Manhattan, New York. Noemi Perez poses for a portrait during a teen "anti-prom," an alternative for students from the High School of Fashion Industries, at The New York Public Library, on Friday, June 03, 2011 in Manhattan, New York. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_016-resized.jpg Marty Reisman, 81, 1958 and 1960 U.S. Open table tennis champion, poses for a portrait playing ping pong at Spin New York on Sunday, May 29, 2011 in Manhattan, New York. (For The New York Times) Marty Reisman, 81, 1958 and 1960 U.S. Open table tennis champion, poses for a portrait playing ping pong at Spin New York on Sunday, May 29, 2011 in Manhattan, New York. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_010-resized.jpg Sibte Hassan, owner of BK Jani, poses for a portrait in front of his restaurant in Brooklyn, NY on April 02, 2016. (For The New York Times) Sibte Hassan, owner of BK Jani, poses for a portrait in front of his restaurant in Brooklyn, NY on April 02, 2016. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_013.jpg Designer Dominic Louis smokes a cigarette outside of a party at The Electric Room at the Dream Downtown hotel in Manhattan, NY, on February 14, 2013, the last day of New York Fashion Week. (For The New York Times) Designer Dominic Louis smokes a cigarette outside of a party at The Electric Room at the Dream Downtown hotel in Manhattan, NY, on February 14, 2013, the last day of New York Fashion Week. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_009-resized.jpg Frayda Levin, who is a political donor to conservative candidates, poses for a portrait outside of her home in Mountain Lakes, NJ, on July 08, 2016. (For The Washington Post) Frayda Levin, who is a political donor to conservative candidates, poses for a portrait outside of her home in Mountain Lakes, NJ, on July 08, 2016. (For The Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Portraits_022--resized.jpg Max Gold, who is bound to a wheelchair after losing his leg to a congenital vascular problem, poses for a portrait in the backyard of his home in Merrick, NY, on August 15, 2013. Max is suing the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum after being denied access to a flight simulator. (For The Washington Post) Max Gold, who is bound to a wheelchair after losing his leg to a congenital vascular problem, poses for a portrait in the backyard of his home in Merrick, NY, on August 15, 2013. Max is suing the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum after being denied access to a flight simulator. 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