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://yanapaskova.com/power-of-poo 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 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://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://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_01.jpg Amadou Tandia takes a smoking break from posing for tourist photos dressed as the Statue of Liberty in Times Square in Manhattan, New York on Monday, August 13, 2012. (For The New York Times) Amadou Tandia takes a smoking break from posing for tourist photos dressed as the Statue of Liberty in Times Square in Manhattan, New York on Monday, August 13, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_002C.jpg Felicita Pomares, 9, checks out a 1938 Plymouth Road King vintage car, on the way to the Fourth of July Parade in Montclair, NJ, on July 04, 2017. (For The New York Times) Felicita Pomares, 9, checks out a 1938 Plymouth Road King vintage car, on the way to the Fourth of July Parade in Montclair, NJ, on July 04, 2017. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_003B.jpg A swimmer exits the ocean during Coney Island Polar Bear Club's New Year's Day Plunge on January 01, 2017 in Brooklyn, NY. (For Getty Images) A swimmer exits the ocean during Coney Island Polar Bear Club's New Year's Day Plunge on January 01, 2017 in Brooklyn, NY. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_004B-resized.jpg A young member of the 49th NYPD precinct Explorers program rehearses the color guard before Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, enters 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 A young member of the 49th NYPD precinct Explorers program rehearses the color guard before Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, enters 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/NYers_004B.jpg Ike Hedberg, 7, son of Mikie Sherrill, a Navy Pilot and former federal prosecutor who is running for Congress, exits the Fourth of July Parade in Montclair, NJ on July 04, 2017. (For The New York Times) Ike Hedberg, 7, son of Mikie Sherrill, a Navy Pilot and former federal prosecutor who is running for Congress, exits the Fourth of July Parade in Montclair, NJ on July 04, 2017. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_002B.jpg (L-R) Tenzin Dolkar, Tenzin Norsang, Hussein Khalique, and Tenzin Norgay walk around DUMBO during halftime of a screening of the US-Portugal World Cup game under the Manhattan Bridge archway in Brooklyn on June 22, 2014. The game ended 2-2 in overtime. (For The New York Times) (L-R) Tenzin Dolkar, Tenzin Norsang, Hussein Khalique, and Tenzin Norgay walk around DUMBO during halftime of a screening of the US-Portugal World Cup game under the Manhattan Bridge archway in Brooklyn on June 22, 2014. The game ended 2-2 in overtime. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_02.jpg New York City Fire Department firefighter Terence O'Donnell rests after working on the scene of a crane collapse on Manhattan's Upper East Side at 91st Street and 1st Avenue on May 30, 2008 in Manhattan, New York. The crane collapsed on top of an apartment building crashing into a penthouse apartment and falling to the ground. (For Getty Images) New York City Fire Department firefighter Terence O'Donnell rests after working on the scene of a crane collapse on Manhattan's Upper East Side at 91st Street and 1st Avenue on May 30, 2008 in Manhattan, New York. The crane collapsed on top of an apartment building crashing into a penthouse apartment and falling to the ground. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_03.jpg A woman checks her phone at the 49th Street station of the N train in Manhattan, New York on Sunday, December 27, 2009. (For The New York Times) A woman checks her phone at the 49th Street station of the N train in Manhattan, New York on Sunday, December 27, 2009. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_004.jpg Film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives to his trial at the New York County Criminal Court in New York, U.S., January 6, 2020. REUTERS/Yana Paskova Film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives to his trial at the New York County Criminal Court in New York, U.S., January 6, 2020. REUTERS/Yana Paskova https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_007.jpg Women sing "El Violador Eres Tu" ("The Rapist Is You,") an anthem created by the Chilean feminist collective Las Tesis, in Times Square after walking in the Annual Women's March on January 18, 2020 in Manhattan, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) Women sing "El Violador Eres Tu" ("The Rapist Is You,") an anthem created by the Chilean feminist collective Las Tesis, in Times Square after walking in the Annual Women's March on January 18, 2020 in Manhattan, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_009B-resized.jpg Members of the media wait inside One Police Plaza before the trial of Officer Daniel Pantaleo on May 13, 2019 in New York City. Officer Pantaleo faces charges of using a chokehold on and intentionally restricting the breathing of Eric Garner, who died as a result of the altercation. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) Members of the media wait inside One Police Plaza before the trial of Officer Daniel Pantaleo on May 13, 2019 in New York City. Officer Pantaleo faces charges of using a chokehold on and intentionally restricting the breathing of Eric Garner, who died as a result of the altercation. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_04-resized.jpg Guests mingle at the Conservatory Ball under a tent set up in The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York on Thursday, June 06, 2013. (For The New York Times) Guests mingle at the Conservatory Ball under a tent set up in The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York on Thursday, June 06, 2013. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_13-resized.jpg A guest of the Conservatory Ball, set up under a tent in The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York on Thursday, June 06, 2013. (For The New York Times) A guest of the Conservatory Ball, set up under a tent in The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York on Thursday, June 06, 2013. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_012.jpg A participant in the Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade fiddles with his mask in Manhattan, NY on February 25, 2018. A participant in the Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade fiddles with his mask in Manhattan, NY on February 25, 2018. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_010B.jpg Veterans' reflections are seen on the car window of Eve Stollak, wife of army veteran Jack Stollack, as they prepare to participate in the The Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, the largest in the nation, in Little Neck, NY on May 29, 2017. (For The New York Times) Veterans' reflections are seen on the car window of Eve Stollak, wife of army veteran Jack Stollack, as they prepare to participate in the The Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, the largest in the nation, in Little Neck, NY on May 29, 2017. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_05-resized.jpg Eight-year-old Lauren Mulligan, dressed for the warm weather, checks out the holiday storefronts of Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, NY on December 22, 2013. The temperatures of the day were projected to reach an uncharacteristic for December high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (For The New York Times) Eight-year-old Lauren Mulligan, dressed for the warm weather, checks out the holiday storefronts of Bergdorf Goodman in Manhattan, NY on December 22, 2013. The temperatures of the day were projected to reach an uncharacteristic for December high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_008-resized.jpg Kids attend a birthday party at the East River Family Center in Manhattan, NY on August 19, 2016. (For The New York Times) Kids attend a birthday party at the East River Family Center in Manhattan, NY on August 19, 2016. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_06-resized.jpg A costumed dancer prepares to participate in the 46th annual West Indian parade on Labor Day on Monday, September 02, 2013, in Brooklyn, New York. (For New York magazine) A costumed dancer prepares to participate in the 46th annual West Indian parade on Labor Day on Monday, September 02, 2013, in Brooklyn, New York. (For New York magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_08.jpg Nasty Canasta reads from a book, disrobed, at a Naked Girls Reading NYC at the Madame X bar in Manhattan, New York on Thursday, February 17, 2011. (For The New York Times) Nasty Canasta reads from a book, disrobed, at a Naked Girls Reading NYC at the Madame X bar in Manhattan, New York on Thursday, February 17, 2011. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/CIP_004.jpg George Lambert hugs his son, police officer Matthew Lambert, 21, after his graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York on December 29, 2014. Tension against police has recently escalated after the killing of several unarmed black men during routine arrests across the country. George Lambert hugs his son, police officer Matthew Lambert, 21, after his graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York on December 29, 2014. Tension against police has recently escalated after the killing of several unarmed black men during routine arrests across the country. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_013-resized.jpg Police watch activists protest in Times Square in response to the recent fatal shootings of two black men by police, July 7, 2016 in New York, NY. Protests and public outcry have grown in the days following the deaths of Alton Sterling on July 5, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile on July 6, 2016, in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. (For Getty Images) Police watch activists protest in Times Square in response to the recent fatal shootings of two black men by police, July 7, 2016 in New York, NY. Protests and public outcry have grown in the days following the deaths of Alton Sterling on July 5, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile on July 6, 2016, in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_014-resized.jpg Activists protest in Times Square in response to the recent fatal shootings of two black men by police, July 7, 2016 in New York, NY. Protests and public outcry have grown in the days following the deaths of Alton Sterling on July 5, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile on July 6, 2016, in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. (For Getty Images) Activists protest in Times Square in response to the recent fatal shootings of two black men by police, July 7, 2016 in New York, NY. Protests and public outcry have grown in the days following the deaths of Alton Sterling on July 5, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Philando Castile on July 6, 2016, in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_018B.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. (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. (For The Wall Street Journal) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_020B.jpg Parishioners wait for communion during Sunday service at Our Lady of Peace in Manhattan, NY on March 05, 2017. (For The New York Times) Parishioners wait for communion during Sunday service at Our Lady of Peace in Manhattan, NY on March 05, 2017. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_024.jpg A crowd gathers for Hachnosas Sefer Torah in front of 47 Forshay Road in Monsey, NY, on December 29, 2019, where suspect Grafton Thomas, 38, stabbed 5 people at a Hanukkah gathering the previous evening. Anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise around the country — and in New York City, anti-Semitic crimes have risen by 21 percent in the past year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. (For The New York Times) A crowd gathers for Hachnosas Sefer Torah in front of 47 Forshay Road in Monsey, NY, on December 29, 2019, where suspect Grafton Thomas, 38, stabbed 5 people at a Hanukkah gathering the previous evening. Anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise around the country — and in New York City, anti-Semitic crimes have risen by 21 percent in the past year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_013.jpg New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio gives a press conference at City Hall in New York, New York, on December 21, 2015. (For Washington Post) New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio gives a press conference at City Hall in New York, New York, on December 21, 2015. (For Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_07A.jpg Fourteen-month-old Ellie Englund watches her bunny-outfitted shadow at the Easter Day Parade on 5th ave. between 49th and 57th st. on March 23, 2008 in New York, New York. The parade attracted hundreds of people who wanted to show off their Easter garb. (For Getty Images) Fourteen-month-old Ellie Englund watches her bunny-outfitted shadow at the Easter Day Parade on 5th ave. between 49th and 57th st. on March 23, 2008 in New York, New York. The parade attracted hundreds of people who wanted to show off their Easter garb. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_027.jpg Members of a delegation from Indonesia wait outside of a meeting room during the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit at U.N. headquarters in New York, NY, on September 23, 2019. Yana Paskova/Reuters Members of a delegation from Indonesia wait outside of a meeting room during the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit at U.N. headquarters in New York, NY, on September 23, 2019. Yana Paskova/Reuters https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_018-resized.jpg Barricades surround Tiffany & Co. (in reflection) on 5th Avenue's luxury shopping strip near Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. (For The New York Times) Assignment ID: 30198910A Barricades surround Tiffany & Co. (in reflection) on 5th Avenue's luxury shopping strip near Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. (For The New York Times) Assignment ID: 30198910A https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_12-resized.jpg Thomas Carr enters his home through the window to unlock the front door during a Humane Society rescue call of his cat, Bunny, and dog, King, in Island Park in Long Island, New York, on Wednesday, November 07, 2012. Many residents evacuated in a hurry without the means to take their pets, nor without realizing it may be days before they could return to rescue them. (For The Humane Society) Thomas Carr enters his home through the window to unlock the front door during a Humane Society rescue call of his cat, Bunny, and dog, King, in Island Park in Long Island, New York, on Wednesday, November 07, 2012. Many residents evacuated in a hurry without the means to take their pets, nor without realizing it may be days before they could return to rescue them. (For The Humane Society) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_027B-resized.jpg A line of people awaits entry to the trial of Officer Daniel Pantaleo at One Police Plaza on May 13, 2019 in New York City. Officer Pantaleo faces charges of using a chokehold on and intentionally restricting the breathing of Eric Garner, who died as a result of the altercation. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) A line of people awaits entry to the trial of Officer Daniel Pantaleo at One Police Plaza on May 13, 2019 in New York City. Officer Pantaleo faces charges of using a chokehold on and intentionally restricting the breathing of Eric Garner, who died as a result of the altercation. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_22-resized.jpg Five-year-old Aaliyah White sits on a bench inside the Conservatory Garden in Central Park, in East Harlem in Manhattan, New York, on Sunday, May 26, 2013. (For The New York Times) Five-year-old Aaliyah White sits on a bench inside the Conservatory Garden in Central Park, in East Harlem in Manhattan, New York, on Sunday, May 26, 2013. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_026B.jpg 775034736YP001_01 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 Brooklyn, NY. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_017.jpg Aude Back de Surany, center, and other passengers are reflected in the back window of an uptown C train traveling through a subway tunnel in New York, New York on January 30, 2015. (For The New York Times) Aude Back de Surany, center, and other passengers are reflected in the back window of an uptown C train traveling through a subway tunnel in New York, New York on January 30, 2015. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_018.jpg A pedestrian shields herself from the afternoon sun walking across the Manhattan bridge toward Brooklyn, with the graffitied buildings of Chinatown in the background, in New York, New York, on July 16, 2015. (For The New York Times) (For The New York Times) A pedestrian shields herself from the afternoon sun walking across the Manhattan bridge toward Brooklyn, with the graffitied buildings of Chinatown in the background, in New York, New York, on July 16, 2015. (For The New York Times) (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_023B-resized.jpg A woman decorates a snowman in Times Square as all cars but emergency vehicles are banned from driving on the roads on January 23, 2016 in New York, NY. The Northeast and parts of the South experienced heavy snow and ice from a slow-moving winter storm, resulting in numerous traffic collision deaths. (For Getty Images) A woman decorates a snowman in Times Square as all cars but emergency vehicles are banned from driving on the roads on January 23, 2016 in New York, NY. The Northeast and parts of the South experienced heavy snow and ice from a slow-moving winter storm, resulting in numerous traffic collision deaths. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_019.jpg Children and their parents sled down a hill in Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan, New York, after a significant snowstorm blanketed the Mid-Atlantic States on January 24, 2016. (For The New York Times) Children and their parents sled down a hill in Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan, New York, after a significant snowstorm blanketed the Mid-Atlantic States on January 24, 2016. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_19.jpg Joe Kowalski (center) checks the darkening clouds during a horse race at the Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. (For The New York Times) Joe Kowalski (center) checks the darkening clouds during a horse race at the Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York on Tuesday, May 29, 2012. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_026-resized.jpg A man peers out from his glasses as people congregate in the lead-up to New Year's eve celebrations in Times Square in New York, NY on December 31, 2016. (For Getty Images) A man peers out from his glasses as people congregate in the lead-up to New Year's eve celebrations in Times Square in New York, NY on December 31, 2016. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/FET_008.jpg Soccer fans watch the USA-Belgium World Cup game under the Manhattan bridge underpass in Brooklyn, New York on July 01, 2014. Belgium won 2-1 in overtime. (For The New York Times) Soccer fans watch the USA-Belgium World Cup game under the Manhattan bridge underpass in Brooklyn, New York on July 01, 2014. Belgium won 2-1 in overtime. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_038B.jpg Park-goers enjoy the snow in Central Park in Manhattan, NY on January 08, 2017. (For The New York Times) Park-goers enjoy the snow in Central Park in Manhattan, NY on January 08, 2017. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYC_24-resized.jpg Beach-goers populate Field 6 during a windy day on Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York on May 12, 2013. Beach-goers populate Field 6 during a windy day on Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York on May 12, 2013. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_029-resized.jpg Swimmers run into the ocean during Coney Island Polar Bear Club's New Year's Day Plunge in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2017. (For Getty Images) Swimmers run into the ocean during Coney Island Polar Bear Club's New Year's Day Plunge in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2017. (For Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_030-resized.jpg A man tans on Orchard Beach in the Bronx, NY on July 03, 2016. (For The New York Times) A man tans on Orchard Beach in the Bronx, NY on July 03, 2016. (For The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_030.jpg A man rolls around in confetti on New Year's eve in Times Square in New York, NY just after midnight on January 01, 2017. (For Getty Images) A man rolls around in confetti on New Year's eve in Times Square in New York, NY just after midnight on January 01, 2017. (For Getty Images) https://yanapaskova.com/after-times 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_040.jpg Walking through Washington Square Park in Manhattan, NY, on December 30, 2021, during a rapid surge in coronavirus cases caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Walking through Washington Square Park in Manhattan, NY, on December 30, 2021, during a rapid surge in coronavirus cases caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_012.jpg A man takes a smoking break in Chinatown in New York, U.S., February 13, 2020, at the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Chinese American denizens have reported an uptick in hate speech and crimes ever since U.S. president Donald Trump's racist characterizations on the pandemic's initial spread from Wuhan, China. REUTERS/Yana Paskova A man takes a smoking break in Chinatown in New York, U.S., February 13, 2020, at the start of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Chinese American denizens have reported an uptick in hate speech and crimes ever since U.S. president Donald Trump's racist characterizations on the pandemic's initial spread from Wuhan, China. REUTERS/Yana Paskova https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_014.jpg Sonya Williams, MTA cleaning staff, disinfects the 86th St. Q train station on March 4, 2020 in New York City. Six people have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus in the metro New York area, including one community spread infection. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) Sonya Williams, MTA cleaning staff, disinfects the 86th St. Q train station on March 4, 2020 in New York City. Six people have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus in the metro New York area, including one community spread infection. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_022.jpg A food order awaits delivery at Antonio's Trattoria in the Bronx, NY, on April 10, 2020, as restaurants across the city shut down to indoor dining in response to the coronavirus crisis. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) A food order awaits delivery at Antonio's Trattoria in the Bronx, NY, on April 10, 2020, as restaurants across the city shut down to indoor dining in response to the coronavirus crisis. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_021.jpg A masked butcher looks out of Biancardi Meats as a line of customers waits to pick up food outside in the Bronx, NY, on April 10, 2020. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) A masked butcher looks out of Biancardi Meats as a line of customers waits to pick up food outside in the Bronx, NY, on April 10, 2020. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_020.jpg A masked man walks through an empty Williamsburg at night as the coronavirus rages inside its North American epicenter, New York, on April 05, 2020. (Yana Paskova/Getty Images) A masked man walks through an empty Williamsburg at night as the coronavirus rages inside its North American epicenter, New York, on April 05, 2020. (Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/My_Covid-20_019.jpg Garden of Eden, Covid Era (through a Brooklyn window, June 2020.) Garden of Eden, Covid Era (through a Brooklyn window, June 2020.) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_023.jpg Protective equipment. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 Protective equipment. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/My_Covid-20_014.jpg In wait: a pandemic threatens to quiet what makes us so casually human, via loss of self, or loss of others. (April 2020, Brooklyn.) In wait: a pandemic threatens to quiet what makes us so casually human, via loss of self, or loss of others. (April 2020, Brooklyn.) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/My_Covid-20_016.jpg The sun sets over a quarantined New York City. I've heard yellow and orange rarely are popular colors. Some say this is because their luminous spectrum drains the eye of energy, while others associate a mustard hue with warning or disease. (March 2020, Brooklyn, NY.) The sun sets over a quarantined New York City. I've heard yellow and orange rarely are popular colors. Some say this is because their luminous spectrum drains the eye of energy, while others associate a mustard hue with warning or disease. (March 2020, Brooklyn, NY.) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_029.jpg A phlebotomist shows to the camera specimens of people getting tested for coronavirus antibodies at the Refuah Health Center on April 24, 2020 in Spring Valley, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) A phlebotomist shows to the camera specimens of people getting tested for coronavirus antibodies at the Refuah Health Center on April 24, 2020 in Spring Valley, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_030.jpg A man adjusts his hat as he waits in line to get tested for coronavirus antibodies at the Refuah Health Center on April 24, 2020 in Spring Valley, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) A man adjusts his hat as he waits in line to get tested for coronavirus antibodies at the Refuah Health Center on April 24, 2020 in Spring Valley, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_031.jpg A phlebotomist prepares to draw blood from a person getting tested for coronavirus antibodies at the Refuah Health Center on April 24, 2020 in Spring Valley, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) A phlebotomist prepares to draw blood from a person getting tested for coronavirus antibodies at the Refuah Health Center on April 24, 2020 in Spring Valley, NY. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_052.jpg A mural of Marxist feminist painter Frida Kahlo peers over a Black Lives Matter protest, under the Broadway MTA tracks in Brooklyn, NY on June 12, 2020. A mural of Marxist feminist painter Frida Kahlo peers over a Black Lives Matter protest, under the Broadway MTA tracks in Brooklyn, NY on June 12, 2020. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_027.jpg A street vendor under a face shield puts a mask on a mannequin's head under the elevated stop of the 4 train at in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) A street vendor under a face shield puts a mask on a mannequin's head under the elevated stop of the 4 train at in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_026.jpg The Bx32 bus drives under the elevated stop of the 4 train at E. Burnside Ave. and Jerome Ave. in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020. South Bronx’s NY-15, New York’s chief congressional district and home to the most NYC essential workers, is the poorest in the nation. Its residents suffer from the state’s worst rates of asthma, diabetes, hypertension and obesity, and therefore, a disproportionately high risk of death by a disease like Covid-19. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) The Bx32 bus drives under the elevated stop of the 4 train at E. Burnside Ave. and Jerome Ave. in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020. South Bronx’s NY-15, New York’s chief congressional district and home to the most NYC essential workers, is the poorest in the nation. Its residents suffer from the state’s worst rates of asthma, diabetes, hypertension and obesity, and therefore, a disproportionately high risk of death by a disease like Covid-19. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_025.jpg People await entry to BJ's Wholesale outside of the Bronx Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020, in a line stretching across several blocks due to social distancing measures inside stores and supply shortages during the pandemic. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) People await entry to BJ's Wholesale outside of the Bronx Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020, in a line stretching across several blocks due to social distancing measures inside stores and supply shortages during the pandemic. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_041.jpg A masked protester stands amidst a gathering of hundreds at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, on June 07, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 A masked protester stands amidst a gathering of hundreds at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, on June 07, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_044.jpg Hundreds of people gather to protest police violence at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, on June 04, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 Hundreds of people gather to protest police violence at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, on June 04, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_058.jpg (Diptych, L-R) Gloves tied to dried roses, and a broken liberty torch amongst shattered glass, during heavy protesting against police brutality in New York, June of 2020. Yana Paskova/NPR (Diptych, L-R) Gloves tied to dried roses, and a broken liberty torch amongst shattered glass, during heavy protesting against police brutality in New York, June of 2020. Yana Paskova/NPR https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_051.jpg A young girl under a face shield (who wanted to be photographed, with her mother's permission,) watches hundreds of people gather to protest police violence at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, on June 07, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 A young girl under a face shield (who wanted to be photographed, with her mother's permission,) watches hundreds of people gather to protest police violence at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, on June 07, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_048.jpg Hundreds of people gather to protest police violence at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 06, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 Hundreds of people gather to protest police violence at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, on June 06, 2020. Peaceful demonstrations, which elicited teargassing, rubber bullets and mass arrests by police, spread throughout the country and the world in response to the death of George Floyd, an African-American man who Minneapolis police killed via extensive neck and back compression during an arrest at the end of May. Photo by: Yana Paskova © 2020 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_033.jpg In a world that has paused its humans, humans reclaim the asphalt; a skateboarder soars above an emptied avenue in Brooklyn, NY on April 06, 2020. In a world that has paused its humans, humans reclaim the asphalt; a skateboarder soars above an emptied avenue in Brooklyn, NY on April 06, 2020. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_035.jpg A couple sunbathes on a Bedstuy roof, in Brooklyn, NY on May 03, 2020. A couple sunbathes on a Bedstuy roof, in Brooklyn, NY on May 03, 2020. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_036.jpg Love in the Time of Corona (Brooklyn quarantine, July 14, 2020.) Love in the Time of Corona (Brooklyn quarantine, July 14, 2020.) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_038.jpg A mural by E. Burnside Ave. and Walton Ave. in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) A mural by E. Burnside Ave. and Walton Ave. in the Bronx, NY, on April 19, 2020. (Photo by Yana Paskova/For The Washington Post) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_037.jpg New Yorkers congregate in Prospect Park during nice weekend weather as social distancing guidelines remain in place to limit the spread of coronavirus on May 2, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) New Yorkers congregate in Prospect Park during nice weekend weather as social distancing guidelines remain in place to limit the spread of coronavirus on May 2, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_060.jpg A socially-distant street barbecue on a Brooklyn street, on August 26, 2020. A socially-distant street barbecue on a Brooklyn street, on August 26, 2020. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_062.jpg Orthodox Jewish women gather for Sukkoth prayer on August 24, 2020, gatherings often criticized for lack of social distancing and masking pre-Covid-19 vaccines. Orthodox Jewish women gather for Sukkoth prayer on August 24, 2020, gatherings often criticized for lack of social distancing and masking pre-Covid-19 vaccines. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_067.jpg Masses of people take to the streets to celebrate after Democratic candidate and former vice president Joe Biden is projected to be the next president of the United States, defeating his controversial Republican rival, Donald Trump, on November 07, 2020 at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York. Masses of people take to the streets to celebrate after Democratic candidate and former vice president Joe Biden is projected to be the next president of the United States, defeating his controversial Republican rival, Donald Trump, on November 07, 2020 at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/Yana_Paskova_2020_066.jpg A woman joins masses of people in the streets to celebrate after Democratic candidate and former vice president Joe Biden is projected to be the next president of the United States, defeating his controversial Republican rival, Donald Trump, on November 07, 2020 at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York. A woman joins masses of people in the streets to celebrate after Democratic candidate and former vice president Joe Biden is projected to be the next president of the United States, defeating his controversial Republican rival, Donald Trump, on November 07, 2020 at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_031.jpg Senator Bernie Sanders prepares to speak during a Get Out The Vote Rally with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on October 28, 2021 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Senator Bernie Sanders prepares to speak during a Get Out The Vote Rally with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on October 28, 2021 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_032.jpg (L-R) Alex Hinds, 21, from Brooklyn, NY, and Travis Romero, 16, from New Jersey, watch traffic move from New Jersey to New York over the George Washington Bridge, as seen from Fort Lee Historic Park in Fort Lee, NJ, on June 02, 2021. Recent audits reveal that New Jersey state troopers subject Black drivers to stops, searches, arrests and use of force at disproportionate rates, despite the Justice Department having ordered an end to this pattern of racial profiling by law enforcement in the late 1980’s. (L-R) Alex Hinds, 21, from Brooklyn, NY, and Travis Romero, 16, from New Jersey, watch traffic move from New Jersey to New York over the George Washington Bridge, as seen from Fort Lee Historic Park in Fort Lee, NJ, on June 02, 2021. Recent audits reveal that New Jersey state troopers subject Black drivers to stops, searches, arrests and use of force at disproportionate rates, despite the Justice Department having ordered an end to this pattern of racial profiling by law enforcement in the late 1980’s. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_033.jpg People, reflected in the plastic barrier of a restaurant's outdoor dining area, gather for the 95th Annual Feast of San Gennaro in the neighborhood of Little Italy in Manhattan, NY, on September 24, 2021, for the first time since 2019 after last year's festivities were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. People, reflected in the plastic barrier of a restaurant's outdoor dining area, gather for the 95th Annual Feast of San Gennaro in the neighborhood of Little Italy in Manhattan, NY, on September 24, 2021, for the first time since 2019 after last year's festivities were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_034.jpg A man crosses the road alongside traffic moving from New Jersey to New York through the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City, NJ, on June 02, 2021. Recent audits reveal that New Jersey state troopers subject Black drivers to stops, searches, arrests and use of force at disproportionate rates, despite the Justice Department having ordered an end to this pattern of racial profiling by law enforcement in the late 1980’s. A man crosses the road alongside traffic moving from New Jersey to New York through the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City, NJ, on June 02, 2021. Recent audits reveal that New Jersey state troopers subject Black drivers to stops, searches, arrests and use of force at disproportionate rates, despite the Justice Department having ordered an end to this pattern of racial profiling by law enforcement in the late 1980’s. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_035.jpg A woman holds up a sign as crowds gather in Foley Square in front of the United States Courthouse during the Women's March on October 2, 2021 in New York, NY. Marches were organized across the country to protest a new, restrictive Texas abortion law that bans most abortions at six weeks of pregnancy. A woman holds up a sign as crowds gather in Foley Square in front of the United States Courthouse during the Women's March on October 2, 2021 in New York, NY. Marches were organized across the country to protest a new, restrictive Texas abortion law that bans most abortions at six weeks of pregnancy. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_036.jpg Reverend John Corbett puts on a robe before holding Sunday Mass at Stella Maris, a Roman Catholic Chapel in Newark, NJ, on December 19, 2021, during a rapid surge in coronavirus cases caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. New Jersey does not mandate mask-wearing within most indoor spaces. Reverend John Corbett puts on a robe before holding Sunday Mass at Stella Maris, a Roman Catholic Chapel in Newark, NJ, on December 19, 2021, during a rapid surge in coronavirus cases caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. New Jersey does not mandate mask-wearing within most indoor spaces. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_037.jpg Scott Lobaido poses with the card he says he shows when anyone asks his for his coronavirus vaccination card, during an anti-coronavirus-vaccination-mandate protest in front of the Staten Island University Hospital (Northwell Health) on Staten Island, NY on August 16, 2021. Earlier in the day, outgoing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a directive that all healthcare workers in the state must have at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccination done by September 27, 2021. Scott Lobaido poses with the card he says he shows when anyone asks his for his coronavirus vaccination card, during an anti-coronavirus-vaccination-mandate protest in front of the Staten Island University Hospital (Northwell Health) on Staten Island, NY on August 16, 2021. Earlier in the day, outgoing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a directive that all healthcare workers in the state must have at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccination done by September 27, 2021. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_038.jpg A “Scarlet A” balloon floats in the foreground of crowds gathering in Foley Square in front of the United States Courthouse during the Women's March on October 2, 2021 in New York, NY. Marches were organized across the country to protest a new, restrictive Texas abortion law that bans most abortions at six weeks of pregnancy. A “Scarlet A” balloon floats in the foreground of crowds gathering in Foley Square in front of the United States Courthouse during the Women's March on October 2, 2021 in New York, NY. Marches were organized across the country to protest a new, restrictive Texas abortion law that bans most abortions at six weeks of pregnancy. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/NYers_After_039.jpg A masked woman walks through crowds gathering for the 95th Annual Feast of San Gennaro in the neighborhood of Little Italy in Manhattan, NY, on September 24, 2021, a festival that's gathered for the first time since 2019 after last year's festivities were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. A masked woman walks through crowds gathering for the 95th Annual Feast of San Gennaro in the neighborhood of Little Italy in Manhattan, NY, on September 24, 2021, a festival that's gathered for the first time since 2019 after last year's festivities were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. https://yanapaskova.com/city-monochrome 2026-03-16 monthly 0.8 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_002-resized.jpg U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) departs a ceremony where the World Trade Center towers once stood in Manhattan, on September 11th, 2016, in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for Washington Post U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump (R-NY) departs a ceremony where the World Trade Center towers once stood in Manhattan, on September 11th, 2016, in New York, NY. Yana Paskova for Washington Post https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_003-resized.jpg Stephanie Clifford (adult film name Stormy Daniels) arrives to Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (not seen) at the United States District Court Southern District of New York after a hearing related to Michael Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney and confidante, April 16, 2018 in New York City. Cohen and lawyers representing President Trump are asking the court to block Justice Department officials from reading documents and materials related to his Cohen's relationship with President Trump that they believe should be protected by attorney-client privilege. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen's office and two private residences last week. Photo by: Yana Paskova/Getty Images Stephanie Clifford (adult film name Stormy Daniels) arrives to Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (not seen) at the United States District Court Southern District of New York after a hearing related to Michael Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney and confidante, April 16, 2018 in New York City. Cohen and lawyers representing President Trump are asking the court to block Justice Department officials from reading documents and materials related to his Cohen's relationship with President Trump that they believe should be protected by attorney-client privilege. Officials with the FBI, armed with a search warrant, raided Cohen's office and two private residences last week. Photo by: Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_004-resized.jpg RAIN A man walks by Herbert Von King Park on a rainy day in Brooklyn, NY on July 24, 2017. Yana Paskova for The Wall Street Journal SLUG: RAIN https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_005-resized.jpg Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_006-resized.jpg Bikers line up near the start line of the 41st annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour in Manhattan, NY on May 06, 2018. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Bikers line up near the start line of the 41st annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour in Manhattan, NY on May 06, 2018. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_007-resized.jpg Carl Schurz Park, on March 04, 2017. Carl Schurz Park, on March 04, 2017. 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_009-resized.jpg Barricades surround Tiffany & Co. (in reflection) on 5th Avenue's luxury shopping strip near Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. Assignment ID: 30198910A Barricades surround Tiffany & Co. (in reflection) on 5th Avenue's luxury shopping strip near Trump Tower in Manhattan, NY on November 18, 2016. Assignment ID: 30198910A 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/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/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_013-resized.jpg Parishioners visiting from an Ethiopian Coptic church finish prayer at a Coptic Orthodox church on Palm Sunday in Manhattan, NY on April 09, 2017. Two explosions at Coptic churches in Egypt left at least 31 people dead and injured dozens of others. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Parishioners visiting from an Ethiopian Coptic church finish prayer at a Coptic Orthodox church on Palm Sunday in Manhattan, NY on April 09, 2017. Two explosions at Coptic churches in Egypt left at least 31 people dead and injured dozens of others. Yana Paskova for The New York Times 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/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_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/New_York_Monochrome_017-resized.jpg Conceptual artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian poses for a portrait reflected in the doors of the "Immersion Room," which visitors cannot enter without surrendering their phones, at the Leila Heller Gallery in Manhattan, NY on January 11, 2018. This exhibit, about unplugging from social media and phones, is a part of Hovnanian's The Women's Trilogy Project. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Conceptual artist Rachel Lee Hovnanian poses for a portrait reflected in the doors of the "Immersion Room," which visitors cannot enter without surrendering their phones, at the Leila Heller Gallery in Manhattan, NY on January 11, 2018. This exhibit, about unplugging from social media and phones, is a part of Hovnanian's The Women's Trilogy Project. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_018-resized.jpg U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer speaks about gun control on March 25, 2018 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer speaks about gun control on March 25, 2018 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times 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_020-resized.jpg Participants in the 2018 Women's March move through Manhattan, New York on January 20, 2018. The MeToo movement calls for equality in economic, physical, and mental health for women and draws attention to the widespread nature of discrimination, sexual harassment and assault against women across various vocations and life circumstances. It has gained geographical and cultural traction via women speaking out about their experiences. Participants in the 2018 Women's March move through Manhattan, New York on January 20, 2018. The MeToo movement calls for equality in economic, physical, and mental health for women and draws attention to the widespread nature of discrimination, sexual harassment and assault against women across various vocations and life circumstances. It has gained geographical and cultural traction via women speaking out about their experiences. 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_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/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/New_York_Monochrome_023-resized.jpg Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images Polar Bear Plunge participants run through the frigid waters surrounding Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY on January 01, 2018. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_024-resized.jpg Exiting Ft. Tilden beach, on June 18, 2017. Exiting Ft. Tilden beach, on June 18, 2017. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_025-resized.jpg Students listen to their professor speak during a Computer Vision & Scene Analysis class at the NYU Tandon School Of Engineering on October 05, 2017 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times Students listen to their professor speak during a Computer Vision & Scene Analysis class at the NYU Tandon School Of Engineering on October 05, 2017 in Manhattan, NY. Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_026-resized.jpg Protesters gather in Central Park to voice their opposition to the attempted repeal of DACA by U.S. President Donald Trump, on September 09, 2017 in New York, NY. Photo by Yana Paskova for The New York Times Protesters gather in Central Park to voice their opposition to the attempted repeal of DACA by U.S. President Donald Trump, on September 09, 2017 in New York, NY. Photo by Yana Paskova for The New York Times https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ec03b1d55/images/New_York_Monochrome_027-resized.jpg A woman looks through the window of a bus down Eastern Parkway during the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The parade, which draws tens of thousands of costumed celebrants, has been plagued by violence in recent years resulting in new intensive security measures. Photo by Yana Paskova/Getty Images A woman looks through the window of a bus down Eastern Parkway during the West Indian American Day Parade in celebration of the Caribbean Carnival on September 04, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The parade, which draws tens of thousands of costumed celebrants, has been plagued by violence in recent years resulting in new intensive security measures. 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