https://amandarivkin.com/ weekly 1.0 https://amandarivkin.com/contact monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/awards monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/exhibits monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/bio monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/baku-tbilisi-ceyhan-oil-pipeline monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc02.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Young girls dress themselves appropriately for prayer upon entering the Shi'a Icherishahar Djuma Masjid or Innercity Mosque for Friday prayers in the old city on July 2, 2010. Viewed as "the wrong message" by the ruling regime of Ilham Aliyev, Islam has been shunned in favor of opulence and materialism for the elite and the imam of the Icherishahar Djuma Masjid was replaced after dalliances with the opposition in 2005, the time of the last major civil disturbances, and Iranian-style clericalism; the wider effect in Azeri society of the corruption that resulted from the second oil boom of the 1990s has left the society of the elite with great wealth but an absence of moral leadership, yet few have turned to Islam for answers. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Young girls dress themselves appropriately for prayer upon entering the Shi'a Icherishahar Djuma Masjid or Innercity Mosque for Friday prayers in the old city on July 2, 2010. Viewed as "the wrong message" by the ruling regime of Ilham Aliyev, Islam has been shunned in favor of opulence and materialism for the elite and the imam of the Icherishahar Djuma Masjid was replaced after dalliances with the opposition in 2005, the time of the last major civil disturbances, and Iranian-style clericalism; the wider effect in Azeri society of the corruption that resulted from the second oil boom of the 1990s has left the society of the elite with great wealth but an absence of moral leadership, yet few have turned to Islam for answers. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc01.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. The Caspian beach in Sixov in Bibi Heybat section on July 4, 2010. With offshore oil installations and an abundance of trash, the Sixov beach is only frequented by the rural and downtrodden from the Azerbaijani regions beyond Baku who cannot afford the private beaches where the elite go to isolate themselves. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. The Caspian beach in Sixov in Bibi Heybat section on July 4, 2010. With offshore oil installations and an abundance of trash, the Sixov beach is only frequented by the rural and downtrodden from the Azerbaijani regions beyond Baku who cannot afford the private beaches where the elite go to isolate themselves. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc04.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. The Balaxani oil fields, one of the earliest oil discoveries in Azerbaijan and the most polluted area on the Absheron peninsula on the outskirts of Baku, with the high rise developments of Baku's booming city center in the distance on July 5, 2010. Several thousand families, many refugees and internally displaced, live in Balaxani. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. The Balaxani oil fields, one of the earliest oil discoveries in Azerbaijan and the most polluted area on the Absheron peninsula on the outskirts of Baku, with the high rise developments of Baku's booming city center in the distance on July 5, 2010. Several thousand families, many refugees and internally displaced, live in Balaxani. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc42.jpg BILGEH, AZERBAIJAN. The Bilgeh Estates villas outside Baku, Azerbaijan on the Absheron Peninsula house some of Azerbaijan's few well manicured lawns as seen from the air on July 15, 2010. Azerbaijan's tremendous wealth gap has placed the elite in a stratosphere above the rest of society and left the rest of the country behind in often near feudal conditions; prices at Bilgeh Estates begin at $2,400 for one week during the off season and soar to $5,400 a week in the peak summer months. BILGEH, AZERBAIJAN. The Bilgeh Estates villas outside Baku, Azerbaijan on the Absheron Peninsula house some of Azerbaijan's few well manicured lawns as seen from the air on July 15, 2010. Azerbaijan's tremendous wealth gap has placed the elite in a stratosphere above the rest of society and left the rest of the country behind in often near feudal conditions; prices at Bilgeh Estates begin at $2,400 for one week during the off season and soar to $5,400 a week in the peak summer months. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/az01.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. A saleswoman adjusts the window display at Bulgari on Neftiler Prospekt, or Oil Worker's Boulevard on July 2, 2010. Luxury shopping in downtown Baku is one symptom of the city within the city or the country within the country where the elite, estimated at 50,000, control much of the country's income and profit from oil revenues, leaving a wide gap in the absence of a middle class between them and the rest of the country. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. A saleswoman adjusts the window display at Bulgari on Neftiler Prospekt, or Oil Worker's Boulevard on July 2, 2010. Luxury shopping in downtown Baku is one symptom of the city within the city or the country within the country where the elite, estimated at 50,000, control much of the country's income and profit from oil revenues, leaving a wide gap in the absence of a middle class between them and the rest of the country. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/az24.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. The outdoor patio lounge of the Chinar restaurant, a favorite restaurant among the local and expat elite and of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, on July 18, 2010. Chinar is owned by a relative of Aliyev. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. The outdoor patio lounge of the Chinar restaurant, a favorite restaurant among the local and expat elite and of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, on July 18, 2010. Chinar is owned by a relative of Aliyev. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_02.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. After two years of construction, a barge hauls the West Chirag offshore oil platform, operated by BP, out into the Caspian Sea in the Bibi Heybat district on September 12, 2013. The platform will be operational by December 2013 and will see its first returns of crude oil in the spring of 2014. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. After two years of construction, a barge hauls the West Chirag offshore oil platform, operated by BP, out into the Caspian Sea in the Bibi Heybat district on September 12, 2013. The platform will be operational by December 2013 and will see its first returns of crude oil in the spring of 2014. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc05.jpg NAFTALAN, AZERBAIJAN. Quliyev Jeyyub from Tartar, Karabakh in the disputed once Azerbaijani territory now occupied by Armenia, sits in an oil bath at the Sehirli Naftalan Health Center and Hotel on July 19, 2010. Naftalan is famous for its oil bath treatments across the former Soviet Union and several such treatment centers exist in the town; patients are only allowed to bath for 10 minutes before having oil scraped from their bodies by a nurse attendant and showering. NAFTALAN, AZERBAIJAN. Quliyev Jeyyub from Tartar, Karabakh in the disputed once Azerbaijani territory now occupied by Armenia, sits in an oil bath at the Sehirli Naftalan Health Center and Hotel on July 19, 2010. Naftalan is famous for its oil bath treatments across the former Soviet Union and several such treatment centers exist in the town; patients are only allowed to bath for 10 minutes before having oil scraped from their bodies by a nurse attendant and showering. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc43.jpg ZAYAM, AZERBAIJAN. Women during the crying ceremony during the seven day ceremony, part of Azerbaijan's elaborate funeral rituals that include gender segregated commemorations of the deceased three days, seven days and 40 days after their death in Zayam, Shamkir Region, Azerbaijan, approximately four kilometers from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, on January 3, 2012. Compensation funds for land traversed by the BTC pipeline paid to the family of the deceased as a result of disruption stemming from the period of the pipeline's construction totaled under $1,000 and went to keeping the deceased healthy and caring for her daughter who suffers from tuberculosis. ZAYAM, AZERBAIJAN. Women during the crying ceremony during the seven day ceremony, part of Azerbaijan's elaborate funeral rituals that include gender segregated commemorations of the deceased three days, seven days and 40 days after their death in Zayam, Shamkir Region, Azerbaijan, approximately four kilometers from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline, on January 3, 2012. Compensation funds for land traversed by the BTC pipeline paid to the family of the deceased as a result of disruption stemming from the period of the pipeline's construction totaled under $1,000 and went to keeping the deceased healthy and caring for her daughter who suffers from tuberculosis. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc44.jpg ZAYAM, AZERBAIJAN. A man takes a lamb carcass from the trunk of a car for butchering before cooking for women mourners during the seven day ceremony, part of Azerbaijan's elaborate funeral rituals that include gender segregated commemorations of the deceased three days, seven days and 40 days after their death in Zayam, Shamkir Region, Azerbaijan, approximately four kilometers from the BTC pipeline, on January 3, 2012. Compensation funds for land traversed by the BTC pipeline paid to the family of the deceased as a result of disruption stemming from the period of the pipeline's construction totaled under $1,000 and went to keeping the deceased healthy and caring for her daughter who suffers from tuberculosis. ZAYAM, AZERBAIJAN. A man takes a lamb carcass from the trunk of a car for butchering before cooking for women mourners during the seven day ceremony, part of Azerbaijan's elaborate funeral rituals that include gender segregated commemorations of the deceased three days, seven days and 40 days after their death in Zayam, Shamkir Region, Azerbaijan, approximately four kilometers from the BTC pipeline, on January 3, 2012. Compensation funds for land traversed by the BTC pipeline paid to the family of the deceased as a result of disruption stemming from the period of the pipeline's construction totaled under $1,000 and went to keeping the deceased healthy and caring for her daughter who suffers from tuberculosis. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc09.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Wedding guests at the home of Inji Mamedova, the bride, as part of the ceremony to pick her up before marrying Fuad Gasimov, an engineer in the Gas Export Department of the Sangachal Terminal where offshore Azeri oil and gas are pumped into the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tblisi-Sepsa pipelines, on July 9, 2010. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Wedding guests at the home of Inji Mamedova, the bride, as part of the ceremony to pick her up before marrying Fuad Gasimov, an engineer in the Gas Export Department of the Sangachal Terminal where offshore Azeri oil and gas are pumped into the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tblisi-Sepsa pipelines, on July 9, 2010. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc08.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Fuad Gasimov, an engineer in the Gas Export Department of the Sangachal Terminal where offshore Azeri oil and gas are pumped into the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tblisi-Sepsa pipelines, and his wife Inji Mamedova just after signing their marriage contract at a wedding palace on July 9, 2010. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Fuad Gasimov, an engineer in the Gas Export Department of the Sangachal Terminal where offshore Azeri oil and gas are pumped into the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tblisi-Sepsa pipelines, and his wife Inji Mamedova just after signing their marriage contract at a wedding palace on July 9, 2010. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc45.jpg YADILI, AZERBAIJAN. Maharram Aliyev, 35, pats his son, Emin Aliyev, 3, on the head while he sleeps after returning from his shift as a security guard along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline route in the family's one-room winter home in Yadili, Yevlax Region, Azerbaijan on January 4, 2012. Aliyev said he earns three to four times the average salary in his village; Aliyev and his father also received compensation funds combined totaling under $3,000 for the disruption to their lands caused by the construction of the BTC pipeline. YADILI, AZERBAIJAN. Maharram Aliyev, 35, pats his son, Emin Aliyev, 3, on the head while he sleeps after returning from his shift as a security guard along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline route in the family's one-room winter home in Yadili, Yevlax Region, Azerbaijan on January 4, 2012. Aliyev said he earns three to four times the average salary in his village; Aliyev and his father also received compensation funds combined totaling under $3,000 for the disruption to their lands caused by the construction of the BTC pipeline. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc46.jpg ALPOUT, AZERBAIJAN. Hagane Gasimova, 47, chops wood in her backyard in Alpout, Ucar Region, Azerbaijan on March 3, 2012. Located along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Alpout no longer has gas despite the fact that it did until about five years ago and villagers are forced to resort to cutting down trees for heat and cooking; the average monthly salary in Alpout is equivalent to only a few hundred dollars and most live off their land through subsistence farming. ALPOUT, AZERBAIJAN. Hagane Gasimova, 47, chops wood in her backyard in Alpout, Ucar Region, Azerbaijan on March 3, 2012. Located along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, Alpout no longer has gas despite the fact that it did until about five years ago and villagers are forced to resort to cutting down trees for heat and cooking; the average monthly salary in Alpout is equivalent to only a few hundred dollars and most live off their land through subsistence farming. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc47.jpg DGVARI, GEORGIA. Zhenia Gogoladze, 68, outside her house which has been partially destroyed by cracks appearing after a 2007 earthquake in Dgvari, Samstkhe-Javakheti region, Georgia, one village over from Tadzrisi from where the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline crosses through the Caucuses mountains, on January 22, 2012. Due to soft soil, many homes in Dgvari have cracked due to landslides and earthquakes and experts have asserted that the pipeline construction, which included controlled blasts, in the mountain villages near the city of Borjomi may have helped accelerate the pace of seismic activity in the region, although locals believe the pipeline construction are unconnected to recent earthquakes and landslides. DGVARI, GEORGIA. Zhenia Gogoladze, 68, outside her house which has been partially destroyed by cracks appearing after a 2007 earthquake in Dgvari, Samstkhe-Javakheti region, Georgia, one village over from Tadzrisi from where the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline crosses through the Caucuses mountains, on January 22, 2012. Due to soft soil, many homes in Dgvari have cracked due to landslides and earthquakes and experts have asserted that the pipeline construction, which included controlled blasts, in the mountain villages near the city of Borjomi may have helped accelerate the pace of seismic activity in the region, although locals believe the pipeline construction are unconnected to recent earthquakes and landslides. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc12.jpg TIMOTESUBANI, GEORGIA. Worshippers during Sunday mass in the Timotesubani Church on July 25, 2010. Located in the Borjomi gorge, the Timotesubani Church and monastic complex is a few kilometers from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline route, making it perhaps the most religious sites along the BTC route in Georgia, the only Christian country traversed by the oil pipeline. TIMOTESUBANI, GEORGIA. Worshippers during Sunday mass in the Timotesubani Church on July 25, 2010. Located in the Borjomi gorge, the Timotesubani Church and monastic complex is a few kilometers from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline route, making it perhaps the most religious sites along the BTC route in Georgia, the only Christian country traversed by the oil pipeline. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc14.jpg ALAKHI SANGORI, GEORGIA. Mariam Aptsiauri and her husband Anzori Aptsiauri in their home on August 1, 2010. While the Aptsiauris have received nothing yet in compensation for having the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline traverse their farmlands, destroying the possibility for continued agricultural production there because of damage to the topsoil and live in poverty, their neighbor Gia Obgaidze is likely the largest recipient of compensation funds in Georgia, which he used to start a chicken farm in addition to remodeling his home; according to an attorney who formerly handled compensation issues with the Young Lawyers Association, Obgaidze likely received 187,000 Georgian lari or approximately $100,000. ALAKHI SANGORI, GEORGIA. Mariam Aptsiauri and her husband Anzori Aptsiauri in their home on August 1, 2010. While the Aptsiauris have received nothing yet in compensation for having the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline traverse their farmlands, destroying the possibility for continued agricultural production there because of damage to the topsoil and live in poverty, their neighbor Gia Obgaidze is likely the largest recipient of compensation funds in Georgia, which he used to start a chicken farm in addition to remodeling his home; according to an attorney who formerly handled compensation issues with the Young Lawyers Association, Obgaidze likely received 187,000 Georgian lari or approximately $100,000. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc48.jpg KODA, GEORGIA. (Left) Venera Arbolishvili, 75, cooks dinner for her extended family with her daughter in the kitchen of her new home in the internally displaced persons (IDP) settlement in Koda, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia on January 20, 2012. Originally from the village of Eredvi in South Ossetia, formerly a territory of Georgia which was lost to the Russians during the 2008 August War, Arbolishvili said during the war, an unknown assailant fired from a car and killed her husband who died in her arms and subsequently she was forced to flee her home before she could bury him. KODA, GEORGIA. (Left) Venera Arbolishvili, 75, cooks dinner for her extended family with her daughter in the kitchen of her new home in the internally displaced persons (IDP) settlement in Koda, Kvemo Kartli, Georgia on January 20, 2012. Originally from the village of Eredvi in South Ossetia, formerly a territory of Georgia which was lost to the Russians during the 2008 August War, Arbolishvili said during the war, an unknown assailant fired from a car and killed her husband who died in her arms and subsequently she was forced to flee her home before she could bury him. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc49.jpg RUSTAVI, GEORGIA. Workers smelting scrap metal before it is converted to steel at the Rustavi Steel plant in Rustavi, Kvemo Kartli region, Georgia on January 20, 2012. Built in 1946 at the height of Stalinist power in the Soviet Union and upgraded in recent years, Rustavi Steel employs 1,750 in what was once the greatest industrial center of Soviet Georgia; today several heavy industry factories remain in the city which is traversed by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. RUSTAVI, GEORGIA. Workers smelting scrap metal before it is converted to steel at the Rustavi Steel plant in Rustavi, Kvemo Kartli region, Georgia on January 20, 2012. Built in 1946 at the height of Stalinist power in the Soviet Union and upgraded in recent years, Rustavi Steel employs 1,750 in what was once the greatest industrial center of Soviet Georgia; today several heavy industry factories remain in the city which is traversed by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc50.jpg TBILISI, GEORGIA. A child beggar sleeps on the street mid-day on Rustaveli Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Tbilisi, Georgia on July 22, 2010. With high unemployment and few economic prospects and lacking the mineral wealth of neighboring oil-rich Azerbaijan, Georgia still finds itself in a state of post-Soviet economic limbo despite receiving approximately $65 million in annual transit fees from having the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline route cross its territory. TBILISI, GEORGIA. A child beggar sleeps on the street mid-day on Rustaveli Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Tbilisi, Georgia on July 22, 2010. With high unemployment and few economic prospects and lacking the mineral wealth of neighboring oil-rich Azerbaijan, Georgia still finds itself in a state of post-Soviet economic limbo despite receiving approximately $65 million in annual transit fees from having the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline route cross its territory. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc13.jpg SAKIRE, GEORGIA. A man drives his Mercedes down a dirt road as locals work on paving the road in the village of Sakire where there were almost no cars five years ago to over 200 today, according to locals, as a result of the dispersal of compensation funds stemming from land-use rights of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline which runs through the nearby mountains where manyin Sakire own land beside the village of Tadzrisi on July 24, 2010. SAKIRE, GEORGIA. A man drives his Mercedes down a dirt road as locals work on paving the road in the village of Sakire where there were almost no cars five years ago to over 200 today, according to locals, as a result of the dispersal of compensation funds stemming from land-use rights of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline which runs through the nearby mountains where manyin Sakire own land beside the village of Tadzrisi on July 24, 2010. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc26.jpg ERZURUM, TURKEY. Erzurum in Turkey's far northeast, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, is perhaps Turkey's most conservative city, where chador is often more common than secularly dressed women on August 7, 2010. ERZURUM, TURKEY. Erzurum in Turkey's far northeast, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, is perhaps Turkey's most conservative city, where chador is often more common than secularly dressed women on August 7, 2010. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc38.jpg ERZURUM, TURKEY. A male nurse stands over a man after giving blood at a blood drive organized by the Turkish Red Crescent in a tent on Cumhurriyet Road in Erzurum, Turkey, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, on August 11, 2010, the first night of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to give Zakat or money for charity, one of the five pillars of the Muslim faith, and those who cannot are instructed to donate blood and perform other acts of charity. ERZURUM, TURKEY. A male nurse stands over a man after giving blood at a blood drive organized by the Turkish Red Crescent in a tent on Cumhurriyet Road in Erzurum, Turkey, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, on August 11, 2010, the first night of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to give Zakat or money for charity, one of the five pillars of the Muslim faith, and those who cannot are instructed to donate blood and perform other acts of charity. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc51.jpg ERZURUM, TURKEY. People take their seats inside an Iftar tent, when Muslims break their fast after abstaining from food and drink during the day on the second night of the month long celebration of Ramadan, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, on August 12, 2010. ERZURUM, TURKEY. People take their seats inside an Iftar tent, when Muslims break their fast after abstaining from food and drink during the day on the second night of the month long celebration of Ramadan, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, on August 12, 2010. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc52.jpg DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY. Men pray in an underground shopping center during a weekly protest called "civil Fridays," where men hear prayers from a Kurdish speaking imam not approved by the Turkish state, as an act of civil disobedience in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 24, 2012. In Turkey, mosques fall under the control of the Turkish state and other religious activities are deemed unofficial and, on occasion, illegal; Diyarbakir is a majority Kurdish city and the most political active, restive in the Kurdish-dominated areas of eastern Turkey. DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY. Men pray in an underground shopping center during a weekly protest called "civil Fridays," where men hear prayers from a Kurdish speaking imam not approved by the Turkish state, as an act of civil disobedience in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 24, 2012. In Turkey, mosques fall under the control of the Turkish state and other religious activities are deemed unofficial and, on occasion, illegal; Diyarbakir is a majority Kurdish city and the most political active, restive in the Kurdish-dominated areas of eastern Turkey. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc53.jpg ALVAR, TURKEY. Women sit for a reading of the Koran late morning in the home of Murat Ozturk in the village of Alvar, Erzurum region, Turkey, which is traversed by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, on the first day of Ramadan, August 11, 2010. ALVAR, TURKEY. Women sit for a reading of the Koran late morning in the home of Murat Ozturk in the village of Alvar, Erzurum region, Turkey, which is traversed by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, on the first day of Ramadan, August 11, 2010. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc29.jpg ERZURUM, TURKEY. A Turkish picnicker rocks her child as he sleeps in a hammock at a site near the Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, on August 8, 2010. ERZURUM, TURKEY. A Turkish picnicker rocks her child as he sleeps in a hammock at a site near the Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey, the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport, on August 8, 2010. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc54.jpg DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY. Young women sing Kurdish songs in the cafe of the Kurdish Cultural Center in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 25, 2012. After nearly a century of forced assimilation policies in Turkey, many Kurds are standing up for their culture and language in a renewed bid for cultural, if not political, independence; only the Kurdish Workers' Party, PKK, has managed to successfully attacked the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY. Young women sing Kurdish songs in the cafe of the Kurdish Cultural Center in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 25, 2012. After nearly a century of forced assimilation policies in Turkey, many Kurds are standing up for their culture and language in a renewed bid for cultural, if not political, independence; only the Kurdish Workers' Party, PKK, has managed to successfully attacked the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc55.jpg DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY. Hunger strikers protest the arrest, detentions and alleged torture of family members in connection with the wide reaching Kurdish Communities Union, KCK, case which has been used as the official pretext to jail an estimated 7,000 activists, members of civil society and others vocal on the Kurdish issue at the office of the Peace and Democracy Party, BDP, the political party of the Kurdish Workers Party, PKK, the main Kurdish guerrilla group, in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 22, 2012. DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY. Hunger strikers protest the arrest, detentions and alleged torture of family members in connection with the wide reaching Kurdish Communities Union, KCK, case which has been used as the official pretext to jail an estimated 7,000 activists, members of civil society and others vocal on the Kurdish issue at the office of the Peace and Democracy Party, BDP, the political party of the Kurdish Workers Party, PKK, the main Kurdish guerrilla group, in Diyarbakir, Turkey on February 22, 2012. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc56.jpg REYHANLI, TURKEY. Syrian children play in a junkyard of old, abandoned and destroyed vehicles at the entrance to the Reyhanli tent city in Reyhanli, Turkey on February 26, 2012. As the year old rebellion against the rule of Bashar Al-Assad continues just across the border in Syria, Turkey has seen a continued influx of refugees from the Syrian conflict but has not granted them refugee status and instead considers them to be "guests" of Turkey; Turkey's border with Syria is just one hour from the Ceyhan Marine Terminal where the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline ends its 1,100 mile journey at the Mediterranean port. REYHANLI, TURKEY. Syrian children play in a junkyard of old, abandoned and destroyed vehicles at the entrance to the Reyhanli tent city in Reyhanli, Turkey on February 26, 2012. As the year old rebellion against the rule of Bashar Al-Assad continues just across the border in Syria, Turkey has seen a continued influx of refugees from the Syrian conflict but has not granted them refugee status and instead considers them to be "guests" of Turkey; Turkey's border with Syria is just one hour from the Ceyhan Marine Terminal where the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline ends its 1,100 mile journey at the Mediterranean port. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc23.jpg YUMURTALIK, TURKEY. Mehmet Erzin, 40, a fisherman, leaves from the port of Yumurtalik, Turkey late in the afternoon on August 15, 2010 to go lay down his nets in the Mediterranean Sea. Many fisherman complain of depleted stocks and environmental damage resulting from the growth of industry and industrial dumping from a nearby thermal power plant after the construction of the end terminal of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline was completed and located so close to their ports. YUMURTALIK, TURKEY. Mehmet Erzin, 40, a fisherman, leaves from the port of Yumurtalik, Turkey late in the afternoon on August 15, 2010 to go lay down his nets in the Mediterranean Sea. Many fisherman complain of depleted stocks and environmental damage resulting from the growth of industry and industrial dumping from a nearby thermal power plant after the construction of the end terminal of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline was completed and located so close to their ports. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc37.jpg MEDITERRANEAN SEA NEAR YUMURTALIK, TURKEY. Mehmet Erzin, 40, a fisherman, separates the biggest fish from his catch after retrieving his nets early in the morning on August 16, 2010. Many fisherman complain of depleted stocks and environmental damage resulting from the growth of industry and industrial dumping from a nearby thermal power plant after the construction of the end terminal of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline was completed and located so close to their ports. MEDITERRANEAN SEA NEAR YUMURTALIK, TURKEY. Mehmet Erzin, 40, a fisherman, separates the biggest fish from his catch after retrieving his nets early in the morning on August 16, 2010. Many fisherman complain of depleted stocks and environmental damage resulting from the growth of industry and industrial dumping from a nearby thermal power plant after the construction of the end terminal of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline was completed and located so close to their ports. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc22.jpg CEYHAN MARINE TERMINAL, TURKEY. Philipino workers load Azeri crude oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline onto a Greek oil tanker, The Aegean Myth on August 16, 2010 before setting sail for Rotterdam, The Netherlands. CEYHAN MARINE TERMINAL, TURKEY. Philipino workers load Azeri crude oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline onto a Greek oil tanker, The Aegean Myth on August 16, 2010 before setting sail for Rotterdam, The Netherlands. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc57.jpg CEYHAN MARINE TERMINAL, TURKEY. A Philipino worker seen through a bucket to catch leaking crude oil secures a valve after loading Azeri crude oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline onto a Greek oil tanker, The Aegean Myth, on August 16, 2010 before setting sail for Rotterdam, The Netherlands. CEYHAN MARINE TERMINAL, TURKEY. A Philipino worker seen through a bucket to catch leaking crude oil secures a valve after loading Azeri crude oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline onto a Greek oil tanker, The Aegean Myth, on August 16, 2010 before setting sail for Rotterdam, The Netherlands. https://amandarivkin.com/odessa-diary monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary01.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. A Military Academy student marches down the street with a young woman beside him to a ceremony at the April 10 Monument where the student soldiers will be promoted to the rank of lieutenant on February 26, 2016. With war raging in eastern Ukraine with Russian-backed separatists, more young men and women have enlisted and the popularity of military education has increased, including among civilians; the April 10 monument commemorates Soviet victory over the Nazi occupation in Odessa. ODESSA, UKRAINE. A Military Academy student marches down the street with a young woman beside him to a ceremony at the April 10 Monument where the student soldiers will be promoted to the rank of lieutenant on February 26, 2016. With war raging in eastern Ukraine with Russian-backed separatists, more young men and women have enlisted and the popularity of military education has increased, including among civilians; the April 10 monument commemorates Soviet victory over the Nazi occupation in Odessa. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary02.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. Family and friends gathered at the April 10 monument to watch as Military Academy students are promoted to the rank of lieutenant on February 26, 2016. With war raging in eastern Ukraine with Russian-backed separatists, more young men and women have enlisted and the popularity of military education has increased, including among civilians; the April 10 monument commemorates Soviet victory over the Nazi occupation in Odessa. ODESSA, UKRAINE. Family and friends gathered at the April 10 monument to watch as Military Academy students are promoted to the rank of lieutenant on February 26, 2016. With war raging in eastern Ukraine with Russian-backed separatists, more young men and women have enlisted and the popularity of military education has increased, including among civilians; the April 10 monument commemorates Soviet victory over the Nazi occupation in Odessa. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary03.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. A medical student examines a formaldehyde cadaver in an anatomical theater classroom at the Odessa National Medical University on February 18, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. A medical student examines a formaldehyde cadaver in an anatomical theater classroom at the Odessa National Medical University on February 18, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary04.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. A snowy interior courtyard characteristic of many homes on January 27, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. A snowy interior courtyard characteristic of many homes on January 27, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary05.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. Pedestrians around a statue of the Duc de Richelieu at the top of the Potemkin steps in the snow on January 18, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. Pedestrians around a statue of the Duc de Richelieu at the top of the Potemkin steps in the snow on January 18, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary06.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. Orthodox Christians celebrate epiphany by the seaside with a baptismal-like ritual in frigid temperatures at Lazheron Beach on January 19, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. Orthodox Christians celebrate epiphany by the seaside with a baptismal-like ritual in frigid temperatures at Lazheron Beach on January 19, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary07.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. Women at the P1 Prosecco Bar on Orthodox Christmas on January 7, 2015. ODESSA, UKRAINE. Women at the P1 Prosecco Bar on Orthodox Christmas on January 7, 2015. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary18.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. A couple makes out under the moonlight Hretska Square on February 22, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. A couple makes out under the moonlight Hretska Square on February 22, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary08.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. A collection by local designer Valkiria is presented during an invitation-only evening of fashion shows and performances at the Ministerium night club on February 6, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. A collection by local designer Valkiria is presented during an invitation-only evening of fashion shows and performances at the Ministerium night club on February 6, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary09.jpg OSYCHKY, ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE. Mikhail Saakashvili, the former President of Georgia and current Governor of Odessa Oblast appointed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, meets and poses for photographs with locals at the Christmas bazaar on January 10, 2016. Saakashvili is said to be Ukraine's most popular politician who many in Odessa have dubbed their "last hope"; during the five-day August War in 2008, Russian forces attempted to assassinate him but he survived and their remains deep enmity between him and the Kremlin. OSYCHKY, ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE. Mikhail Saakashvili, the former President of Georgia and current Governor of Odessa Oblast appointed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, meets and poses for photographs with locals at the Christmas bazaar on January 10, 2016. Saakashvili is said to be Ukraine's most popular politician who many in Odessa have dubbed their "last hope"; during the five-day August War in 2008, Russian forces attempted to assassinate him but he survived and their remains deep enmity between him and the Kremlin. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary10.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. The priest performs Christmas mass at the Christmas Church on January 7, 2016. Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate Christmas on January 7. ODESSA, UKRAINE. The priest performs Christmas mass at the Christmas Church on January 7, 2016. Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate Christmas on January 7. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary11.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. The priest performs Christmas mass at the Christmas Church on January 7, 2016. Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate Christmas on January 7. ODESSA, UKRAINE. The priest performs Christmas mass at the Christmas Church on January 7, 2016. Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate Christmas on January 7. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary12.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. Secret service arrest a man as one of their team films the arrest in Odessa, Ukraine on February 22, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. Secret service arrest a man as one of their team films the arrest in Odessa, Ukraine on February 22, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary17.jpg OSYCHKY, ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE. Angels stand at the entrance to St. Nicholas workshop at the Christmas bazaar on January 10, 2016. OSYCHKY, ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE. Angels stand at the entrance to St. Nicholas workshop at the Christmas bazaar on January 10, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary14.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. The free trade zone at the port of Odessa on February 27, 2016. Since Crimea was seized by Russia in 2014, Odessa's port has been the main point of entry for goods coming mainly from Russia, China and Turkey and elsewhere in the world in to Ukraine. ODESSA, UKRAINE. The free trade zone at the port of Odessa on February 27, 2016. Since Crimea was seized by Russia in 2014, Odessa's port has been the main point of entry for goods coming mainly from Russia, China and Turkey and elsewhere in the world in to Ukraine. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary15.jpg SYM KILOMETER (SEVEN KILOMETER), ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE. Traders at the large wholesale market on the outskirts of Odessa in Sym Kilometer (Seven Kilometer), Ukraine on February 18, 2016. Odessa's port is the main port of entry for goods, largely from China and Turkey, into Ukraine since Russia seized Crimea in 2014. SYM KILOMETER (SEVEN KILOMETER), ODESSA OBLAST, UKRAINE. Traders at the large wholesale market on the outskirts of Odessa in Sym Kilometer (Seven Kilometer), Ukraine on February 18, 2016. Odessa's port is the main port of entry for goods, largely from China and Turkey, into Ukraine since Russia seized Crimea in 2014. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary16.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. Vendors and customers in the vegetable and fruit pavilion at the large Privoz market on February 17, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. Vendors and customers in the vegetable and fruit pavilion at the large Privoz market on February 17, 2016. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary13.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. A road block set up by Ukrainian pro-Maidan activists and soldiers at the entrance to Odessa from Transdnistria, located 15 kilometers down the road, on February 18, 2016. Two days prior to this photograph, a truck carrying guns from Russia was stopped from entering Odessa. ODESSA, UKRAINE. A road block set up by Ukrainian pro-Maidan activists and soldiers at the entrance to Odessa from Transdnistria, located 15 kilometers down the road, on February 18, 2016. Two days prior to this photograph, a truck carrying guns from Russia was stopped from entering Odessa. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_odessadiary19.jpg ODESSA, UKRAINE. A couple and a young man ride the trolley bus on Valentine's Day on February 14, 2016. ODESSA, UKRAINE. A couple and a young man ride the trolley bus on Valentine's Day on February 14, 2016. https://amandarivkin.com/turkey-in-transition monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/turkey-gezi-uprising monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/home monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk01.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. A woman dances on the table at Jos Ovu Noc, a kafana, or bar with live turbofolk music that blares late into the night on July 2, 2015. Such clubs as showcases for turbofolk singers and bands have their origins along the Ibarska Magistrala highway which goes south from the capital towards the most traditional parts of Serbia. BELGRADE, SERBIA. A woman dances on the table at Jos Ovu Noc, a kafana, or bar with live turbofolk music that blares late into the night on July 2, 2015. Such clubs as showcases for turbofolk singers and bands have their origins along the Ibarska Magistrala highway which goes south from the capital towards the most traditional parts of Serbia. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk02.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. A couple making out in a quiet corner at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, as Dara Bubamara belts out fast-paced turbofolk hits on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. BELGRADE, SERBIA. A couple making out in a quiet corner at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, as Dara Bubamara belts out fast-paced turbofolk hits on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk04.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. A woman stands in front of the former Serbian Ministry of Defense (at left), formerly the Yugoslav Ministry of Defense, and the Army Headquarters (at right), which were hit by NATO bombs in 1999 during the conflict with Kosovo under former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, which have been left since as a morbid reminder of sorts of Serbia's recent past on Kneza Milosa on June 29, 2015. Part of the Army Headquarters building remains in use. BELGRADE, SERBIA. A woman stands in front of the former Serbian Ministry of Defense (at left), formerly the Yugoslav Ministry of Defense, and the Army Headquarters (at right), which were hit by NATO bombs in 1999 during the conflict with Kosovo under former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, which have been left since as a morbid reminder of sorts of Serbia's recent past on Kneza Milosa on June 29, 2015. Part of the Army Headquarters building remains in use. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk22.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Young people, including a young man in a traditional Serbian hat dance and sing along in the front row as Aca Lukas performs at Mali Kalemegdan, the smaller section of the old fortress on July 11, 2015. Lukas, who often appears on stage with Ceca, the "mother of Serbia" and the biggest turbofolk star, was one of the first turbofolk stars to admit to using cocaine. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Young people, including a young man in a traditional Serbian hat dance and sing along in the front row as Aca Lukas performs at Mali Kalemegdan, the smaller section of the old fortress on July 11, 2015. Lukas, who often appears on stage with Ceca, the "mother of Serbia" and the biggest turbofolk star, was one of the first turbofolk stars to admit to using cocaine. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk03.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Dara Bubamara performs onstage at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, surrounded by bodyguards on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Dara Bubamara performs onstage at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, surrounded by bodyguards on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk27.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Serbian police in riot gear stand guard outside the Media Centar before a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, widely labeled genocide in the eyes of International Criminal Court in The Hague and the international community, on July 11, 2015. Due to threats from nationalists, a planned die-in intended to represent the 8,000 who lost their lives in Srebrenica, Europe's largest postwar massacre, was cancelled and a much smaller commemoration of NGO officials was held at the Media Centar. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Serbian police in riot gear stand guard outside the Media Centar before a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, widely labeled genocide in the eyes of International Criminal Court in The Hague and the international community, on July 11, 2015. Due to threats from nationalists, a planned die-in intended to represent the 8,000 who lost their lives in Srebrenica, Europe's largest postwar massacre, was cancelled and a much smaller commemoration of NGO officials was held at the Media Centar. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk09.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Starlet, or aspiring star, Atina Ferrari, who appeared on the reality show "Parovi," which features many high end prostitutes and elements of the turbofolk lifestyle, at Jos Ovu Noc, a kafana, or bar with live turbofolk music that blares late into the night on July 2, 2015. Such clubs as showcases for turbofolk singers and bands have their origins along the Ibarska Magistrala highway which goes south from the capital towards the most traditional parts of Serbia; the turbofolk lifestyle and sound has evolved into one where "money is the justification," in the words of Radovan Kupres, former cultural programming director of tv station B92 who produced the documentary "All That Folk". BELGRADE, SERBIA. Starlet, or aspiring star, Atina Ferrari, who appeared on the reality show "Parovi," which features many high end prostitutes and elements of the turbofolk lifestyle, at Jos Ovu Noc, a kafana, or bar with live turbofolk music that blares late into the night on July 2, 2015. Such clubs as showcases for turbofolk singers and bands have their origins along the Ibarska Magistrala highway which goes south from the capital towards the most traditional parts of Serbia; the turbofolk lifestyle and sound has evolved into one where "money is the justification," in the words of Radovan Kupres, former cultural programming director of tv station B92 who produced the documentary "All That Folk". https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk05.jpg NIS, SERBIA. Vladislava Djuric, 30, holds her nationally famous icon of Svetlana Raznatovic, better known as Ceca, which garnered national headlines after pictures went viral of it taken during a student exhibition at Djuric's university, on July 10, 2015. Ceca, a turbofolk star better known as "the Mother of Serbia," was married to one of the Bosnian War's most notorious Serbian military commanders, Arkan, who was later assassinated, and was one of a rotating cast of turbofolk stars who gave daily concerts in Belgrade's Republic Square during the 1999 NATO bombing. NIS, SERBIA. Vladislava Djuric, 30, holds her nationally famous icon of Svetlana Raznatovic, better known as Ceca, which garnered national headlines after pictures went viral of it taken during a student exhibition at Djuric's university, on July 10, 2015. Ceca, a turbofolk star better known as "the Mother of Serbia," was married to one of the Bosnian War's most notorious Serbian military commanders, Arkan, who was later assassinated, and was one of a rotating cast of turbofolk stars who gave daily concerts in Belgrade's Republic Square during the 1999 NATO bombing. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk25.jpg SIMANOVCI, SERBIA. The stage the morning after the finale of "Pinkovi Zvezde" or "Pink Stars," an "American Idol"-style talent showcase on Pink TV, one of the two main TV stations dedicated to turbo folk music and other programming, at the main Pink TV studios on June 28, 2015. SIMANOVCI, SERBIA. The stage the morning after the finale of "Pinkovi Zvezde" or "Pink Stars," an "American Idol"-style talent showcase on Pink TV, one of the two main TV stations dedicated to turbo folk music and other programming, at the main Pink TV studios on June 28, 2015. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk37.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. (At center, in suit) Ekrem Jevric sings as Aleksandra Grdic gives a massage to a fellow cast member, as Saska Karan laughs on the couch and turbofolk star Dusica Grabovic looks on in laughter on the set of "Parovi," which features many starlets, turbofolk viral video stars and others part of the blingy new money turbo world, on September 10, 2015. Parovi is broadcast live twenty-four hours a day and along with shows like "Farm" and "Hotel Maldivi" populate the fodder for the tabloid press in Serbia. BELGRADE, SERBIA. (At center, in suit) Ekrem Jevric sings as Aleksandra Grdic gives a massage to a fellow cast member, as Saska Karan laughs on the couch and turbofolk star Dusica Grabovic looks on in laughter on the set of "Parovi," which features many starlets, turbofolk viral video stars and others part of the blingy new money turbo world, on September 10, 2015. Parovi is broadcast live twenty-four hours a day and along with shows like "Farm" and "Hotel Maldivi" populate the fodder for the tabloid press in Serbia. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk30.jpg JAGODINA, SERBIA. Jovanca, the giraffe in the Jagodina zoo, on September 10, 2015. Jovanca was a concession to powerful local mayor and don Dragan Markovic, also known as "Palma," a former close ally of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, in order to gain his participation in the coalition government; Palma owns Palma TV which provided part of the turbofolk soundtrack to the 1990s and is close with several stars of the genre including Svetlana Raznatovic, better known as Ceca, and Aca Lukas. JAGODINA, SERBIA. Jovanca, the giraffe in the Jagodina zoo, on September 10, 2015. Jovanca was a concession to powerful local mayor and don Dragan Markovic, also known as "Palma," a former close ally of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, in order to gain his participation in the coalition government; Palma owns Palma TV which provided part of the turbofolk soundtrack to the 1990s and is close with several stars of the genre including Svetlana Raznatovic, better known as Ceca, and Aca Lukas. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk07.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Jelena Karleusa arrives in custom Versace according to her Instagram ahead of a concert on the splav, or barge, River on the night of July 3, 2015. Karleusa is the lone turbofolk star who has been outspoken on the issue of gay rights and many of her looks have been copied by the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Kim Kardashian; in an e-mail Karleusa declared she doesn't sing turbofolk music, despite having deep roots in the industry and coming up through the same television channels, venues and other mechanisms used to promote turbofolk, but refused repeated requests to clarify the description of her music. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Jelena Karleusa arrives in custom Versace according to her Instagram ahead of a concert on the splav, or barge, River on the night of July 3, 2015. Karleusa is the lone turbofolk star who has been outspoken on the issue of gay rights and many of her looks have been copied by the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Kim Kardashian; in an e-mail Karleusa declared she doesn't sing turbofolk music, despite having deep roots in the industry and coming up through the same television channels, venues and other mechanisms used to promote turbofolk, but refused repeated requests to clarify the description of her music. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk11.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Members of the studio audience wait to enter the studio for a taping of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television, on July 1, 2015. Members of the studio audience are paid 500 dinars, approximately $5, a day for their role and participation in the tapings which last for hours. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Members of the studio audience wait to enter the studio for a taping of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television, on July 1, 2015. Members of the studio audience are paid 500 dinars, approximately $5, a day for their role and participation in the tapings which last for hours. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk21.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. (At left) Lepa Brena, one of the oldest and original turbofolk stars, during a performance on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. During this particular taping of "Grand Stars," well known stars are singing with younger, lesser known stars with the goal of elevating their personality in public life. BELGRADE, SERBIA. (At left) Lepa Brena, one of the oldest and original turbofolk stars, during a performance on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. During this particular taping of "Grand Stars," well known stars are singing with younger, lesser known stars with the goal of elevating their personality in public life. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk13.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Members of the studio audience applaud their favorite stars turbofolk hits on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. Members of the studio audience are paid 500 dinars, approximately $5, a day for their role and participation in the tapings which last for hours. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Members of the studio audience applaud their favorite stars turbofolk hits on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. Members of the studio audience are paid 500 dinars, approximately $5, a day for their role and participation in the tapings which last for hours. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk24.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. A woman and a young man in the audience react to watching Aca Lukas performs at Mali Kalemegdan, the smaller section of the old fortress on July 11, 2015. Lukas, who often appears on stage with Ceca, the "mother of Serbia" and the biggest turbofolk star, was one of the first turbofolk stars to admit to using cocaine. BELGRADE, SERBIA. A woman and a young man in the audience react to watching Aca Lukas performs at Mali Kalemegdan, the smaller section of the old fortress on July 11, 2015. Lukas, who often appears on stage with Ceca, the "mother of Serbia" and the biggest turbofolk star, was one of the first turbofolk stars to admit to using cocaine. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk08.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Clubgoers at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, toast on the main dance floor of the club as Dara Bubamara sings fast-paced turbofolk hits on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Clubgoers at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, toast on the main dance floor of the club as Dara Bubamara sings fast-paced turbofolk hits on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk18.jpg SIMANOVCI, SERBIA. Girls who will dance on stage during the taping of the finale of "Pinkove Zvezdice," or "Little Pink Stars," wait backstage at the Pink TV studios before the finale on July 4, 2015. "Pinkove Zvezdice," is the junior program of "Pinkove Zvezde," the premier turbofolk showcase on Pink TV, one of the primary networks showcasing turbofolk, although the child contestants on "Pinkove Zvezdice" are more likely to sing classic pop songs than anything regional. SIMANOVCI, SERBIA. Girls who will dance on stage during the taping of the finale of "Pinkove Zvezdice," or "Little Pink Stars," wait backstage at the Pink TV studios before the finale on July 4, 2015. "Pinkove Zvezdice," is the junior program of "Pinkove Zvezde," the premier turbofolk showcase on Pink TV, one of the primary networks showcasing turbofolk, although the child contestants on "Pinkove Zvezdice" are more likely to sing classic pop songs than anything regional. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk35.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. A door guard objects to photos as young women wait to enter River, a club on a splav, or barge, on the Sava River ahead of a concert by Jelena Karleusa on the night of July 3, 2015. The splavs along the Sava and Danube Rivers are the epicenter of Belgrade's raging all night club scene; Karleusa is one of two of the turbofolk industry's greatest stars and certainly its most outspoken liberal voice and advocate for the gay community. BELGRADE, SERBIA. A door guard objects to photos as young women wait to enter River, a club on a splav, or barge, on the Sava River ahead of a concert by Jelena Karleusa on the night of July 3, 2015. The splavs along the Sava and Danube Rivers are the epicenter of Belgrade's raging all night club scene; Karleusa is one of two of the turbofolk industry's greatest stars and certainly its most outspoken liberal voice and advocate for the gay community. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk36.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. A clubgoer at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, dances to fast-paced turbofolk hits by Dara Bubamara on the main dance floor of the club on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. BELGRADE, SERBIA. A clubgoer at Bard, a nightclub on a splav or barge on the Danube River, dances to fast-paced turbofolk hits by Dara Bubamara on the main dance floor of the club on July 8, 2015. Dara Bubamara's career extends back to 1989 when she got her start on television singing songs by Lepa Brena. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk32.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Members of the studio audience sing along to their favorite stars turbofolk hits on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. Members of the studio audience are paid 500 dinars, approximately $5, a day for their role and participation in the tapings which last for hours. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Members of the studio audience sing along to their favorite stars turbofolk hits on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. Members of the studio audience are paid 500 dinars, approximately $5, a day for their role and participation in the tapings which last for hours. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rivkin_wpp_turbofolk15.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Vesna Zmijanac, an aging star whose career extends back to the 1980s even before the advent of the music known as "turbofolk" and former mistress of the head of Serbian state television during the 1990s, smokes backstage after a performance on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. Zmijanac's daughter Nikolija is a rising star of the turbofolk scene today. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Vesna Zmijanac, an aging star whose career extends back to the 1980s even before the advent of the music known as "turbofolk" and former mistress of the head of Serbian state television during the 1990s, smokes backstage after a performance on the set of "Zvezde Granda," or "Grand Stars," a premier turbofolk showcase on Serbian television station TV Prva, on July 1, 2015. Zmijanac's daughter Nikolija is a rising star of the turbofolk scene today. https://amandarivkin.com/postwar-bosnia-reconstruction monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/prague-stag-nights monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag09.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag and soon to be married (second from left) Michael Klos, 23, receives a table top lap dance as friends (l-r) Roald de Jongh, 24, Ronald Stelt, 23 and Herman Bruinslol, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands look on at Hot Peppers in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag and soon to be married (second from left) Michael Klos, 23, receives a table top lap dance as friends (l-r) Roald de Jongh, 24, Ronald Stelt, 23 and Herman Bruinslol, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands look on at Hot Peppers in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag20.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Friends and family hold a stag party for Lee Meynell (not pictured), 28, of Middlesbrough, England two weeks ahead of his wedding day at a bar in the Main Square on August 5, 2011. Stag, or bachelor, tourism in Central and Eastern Europe is a popular and low cost alternative to holding similar festivities in the U.K., bringing hordes of drunken British men into main squares and bars across the region, drawing complaints from local women. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Friends and family hold a stag party for Lee Meynell (not pictured), 28, of Middlesbrough, England two weeks ahead of his wedding day at a bar in the Main Square on August 5, 2011. Stag, or bachelor, tourism in Central and Eastern Europe is a popular and low cost alternative to holding similar festivities in the U.K., bringing hordes of drunken British men into main squares and bars across the region, drawing complaints from local women. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag07.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (Center) William Gerritsma, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a stag night tourist, blows foam from the top of his beer at his friends at the Beer Factory on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (Center) William Gerritsma, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a stag night tourist, blows foam from the top of his beer at his friends at the Beer Factory on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag08.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag night tourist and soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands toasts with his friends at the Goldfinger strip club on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag night tourist and soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands toasts with his friends at the Goldfinger strip club on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag06crop.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Angelo Eleveld, 22, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a stag tourist celebrating the impending marriage of his friend (not pictured) Michael Klos, 23, dances with stranger and fellow stag tourist, the soon to be married Blair Skadden of New Zealand in the "mankini" made famous by British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen in the "Borat" film at the Beer Factory on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Angelo Eleveld, 22, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a stag tourist celebrating the impending marriage of his friend (not pictured) Michael Klos, 23, dances with stranger and fellow stag tourist, the soon to be married Blair Skadden of New Zealand in the "mankini" made famous by British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen in the "Borat" film at the Beer Factory on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag11.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Angelo Eleveld, 22, carries his friend Jeffrey Snyder, 23, on his shoulders while drinking with friends at the Beer Factory on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Angelo Eleveld, 22, carries his friend Jeffrey Snyder, 23, on his shoulders while drinking with friends at the Beer Factory on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag05.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Friends and family hold a stag party for Lee Meynell, 28, of Middlesbrough, England (at left with pink balloon breasts) two weeks ahead of his wedding day at a bar in the Main Square of Prague, Czech Republic on August 5, 2011. Stag, or bachelor, tourism in Central and Eastern Europe is a popular and low cost alternative to holding similar festivities in the U.K., bringing hordes of drunken British men into main squares and bars across the region, drawing complaints from local women. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Friends and family hold a stag party for Lee Meynell, 28, of Middlesbrough, England (at left with pink balloon breasts) two weeks ahead of his wedding day at a bar in the Main Square of Prague, Czech Republic on August 5, 2011. Stag, or bachelor, tourism in Central and Eastern Europe is a popular and low cost alternative to holding similar festivities in the U.K., bringing hordes of drunken British men into main squares and bars across the region, drawing complaints from local women. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag16.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Marco Piepedeen, 23, grabs stag and soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands by the shirt collar as an older local couple walks a few feet ahead on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Marco Piepedeen, 23, grabs stag and soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands by the shirt collar as an older local couple walks a few feet ahead on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag14.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag tourists Angelo Eleveld, 22, picks up and spins his friend Sietse Dehaam, 23, as Roald de Jongh, 24, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands tries to spank him as he turns mid-way through the night on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag tourists Angelo Eleveld, 22, picks up and spins his friend Sietse Dehaam, 23, as Roald de Jongh, 24, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands tries to spank him as he turns mid-way through the night on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag15_crop.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Stag night tourists Michael Klos, 23, whips his friend, Arnold Valkema, 27, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands with the aid of a stripper's prop and her encouragement at the Goldfinger strip club on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Stag night tourists Michael Klos, 23, whips his friend, Arnold Valkema, 27, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands with the aid of a stripper's prop and her encouragement at the Goldfinger strip club on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag24.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Stag night tourist and soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands receives a partial lap dance in an effort to coerce him into paying for the full dance at the Goldfinger strip club on Weneslaus Square on August 12, 2011. Klos and his friends declined to spend the money it would cost for a second lap dance and left the club for a nightclub a short while later. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Stag night tourist and soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands receives a partial lap dance in an effort to coerce him into paying for the full dance at the Goldfinger strip club on Weneslaus Square on August 12, 2011. Klos and his friends declined to spend the money it would cost for a second lap dance and left the club for a nightclub a short while later. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag22.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag night tourists from Rotterdam, the Netherlands (clockwise from top left, standing) Sietse Dehaam, 23, Angelo Eleveld, 22, Michael Klos, 23, and Jeffrey Snyder, 23, collapse on the sidewalk outside a department store on Weneslaus Square after doing an impromptu head count to make sure everyone in the group is accounted for after exiting the Hot Peppers strip club on Weneslaus Square on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag night tourists from Rotterdam, the Netherlands (clockwise from top left, standing) Sietse Dehaam, 23, Angelo Eleveld, 22, Michael Klos, 23, and Jeffrey Snyder, 23, collapse on the sidewalk outside a department store on Weneslaus Square after doing an impromptu head count to make sure everyone in the group is accounted for after exiting the Hot Peppers strip club on Weneslaus Square on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag12.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Herman Bruinslol, 23, William Gerritsma, and Jeffrey Snyder, 23, from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, begin a night out after a day of heavy drinking in Prague, Czech Republic as stag night tourists celebrating the engagement and final nights of freedom of friend Michael Klos, 23, (not pictured) who is getting married in a few weeks time on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Herman Bruinslol, 23, William Gerritsma, and Jeffrey Snyder, 23, from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, begin a night out after a day of heavy drinking in Prague, Czech Republic as stag night tourists celebrating the engagement and final nights of freedom of friend Michael Klos, 23, (not pictured) who is getting married in a few weeks time on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag21.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag tourists from Rotterdam, The Netherlands celebrating the upcoming marriage of Michael Klos, 23, eat hot dogs on the street outside a shop following a day of heavy drinking and before an even bar crawl on Weneslaus Square on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag tourists from Rotterdam, The Netherlands celebrating the upcoming marriage of Michael Klos, 23, eat hot dogs on the street outside a shop following a day of heavy drinking and before an even bar crawl on Weneslaus Square on August 12, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag17.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag night tourist Angelo Eleveld, 22, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands feels sick mid-way through the night as his friends alternatively seek to comfort and tease him while locals look on in consternation on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. Michael Klos, 23, whose wedding a few weeks later was the occasion for the trip to Prague to celebrate his last nights of freedom, has his arm around his friend. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. Stag night tourist Angelo Eleveld, 22, of Rotterdam, the Netherlands feels sick mid-way through the night as his friends alternatively seek to comfort and tease him while locals look on in consternation on Weneslaus Square in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. Michael Klos, 23, whose wedding a few weeks later was the occasion for the trip to Prague to celebrate his last nights of freedom, has his arm around his friend. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/praguestag19_crop.jpg PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Stag tourists Herman Bruinslol, 23, and the soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, walk down Weneslaus Square as Sietse Dehaam, 23, all of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, runs up to spank him en route to a strip club in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC. (L-r) Stag tourists Herman Bruinslol, 23, and the soon to be married Michael Klos, 23, walk down Weneslaus Square as Sietse Dehaam, 23, all of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, runs up to spank him en route to a strip club in Prague, Czech Republic on August 12, 2011. https://amandarivkin.com/trumpistan monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/chicago-police-torture-survivors monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/sustenance:-chicago-+-the-food-chain monthly 0.8 https://amandarivkin.com/portraits monthly 0.8 https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/obama_moneyshot.jpg CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Democrat Barack Obama waves to his supporters in Grant Park, Chicago through bullet proof glass after winning the U.S. presidential election, defeating Republican John McCain, to become the 44th U.S. president on November 4, 2008. Obama gave his victory speech to a crowd of just over 200,000 supporters. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Democrat Barack Obama waves to his supporters in Grant Park, Chicago through bullet proof glass after winning the U.S. presidential election, defeating Republican John McCain, to become the 44th U.S. president on November 4, 2008. Obama gave his victory speech to a crowd of just over 200,000 supporters. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/BLAGO_day04.jpg SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. Beleaguered Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich prepares notes in his final act in the governor's office in Springfield before speaking in his own defense at his impeachment hearing at the state capitol in Springfield, Illinois on January 29, 2009. Blagojevich said he rarely sticks to his notes but uses them for support and back-up. (Credit: Amanda Rivkin for The New York Times) SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. Beleaguered Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich prepares notes in his final act in the governor's office in Springfield before speaking in his own defense at his impeachment hearing at the state capitol in Springfield, Illinois on January 29, 2009. Blagojevich said he rarely sticks to his notes but uses them for support and back-up. (Credit: Amanda Rivkin for The New York Times) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turkeyuprising39.jpg SINCAN, TURKEY. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a crowd of supporters after more than two weeks straight of protests across Turkey against his rule on June 15, 2013. Sincan is the site of the 1997 "post-modern coup" and where Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan chose for his Ankara rally to bolster his position with regard to ongoing protests in Istanbul's Taksim Square and across Turkey; at his rally he said that the security services would promptly take care of the protesters and shortly after riot police were unleashed on the peacefully gathered demonstrators who quickly retook the square. SINCAN, TURKEY. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a crowd of supporters after more than two weeks straight of protests across Turkey against his rule on June 15, 2013. Sincan is the site of the 1997 "post-modern coup" and where Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan chose for his Ankara rally to bolster his position with regard to ongoing protests in Istanbul's Taksim Square and across Turkey; at his rally he said that the security services would promptly take care of the protesters and shortly after riot police were unleashed on the peacefully gathered demonstrators who quickly retook the square. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turkey01.jpg ERZURUM, TURKEY. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan departs a political rally in support of the September 12 referendum which would change the nature of the country's constitutional court to solidify the hold of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) under the pretext that it would prevent future military coups, in Turkey's conservative far northeast on August 13, 2010. Erzurum is the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport. ERZURUM, TURKEY. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan departs a political rally in support of the September 12 referendum which would change the nature of the country's constitutional court to solidify the hold of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) under the pretext that it would prevent future military coups, in Turkey's conservative far northeast on August 13, 2010. Erzurum is the first major city near the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Turkey, located just 10 kilometers from the pipeline which traverses numerous villages near the city's airport. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/DSC_0800.jpg VESKIMÄE, ESTONIA. Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on his mother's farm which was left to ruins during Soviet occupation that he purchased and restored following the fall of the Soviet Union on June 26, 2023. VESKIMÄE, ESTONIA. Former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves on his mother's farm which was left to ruins during Soviet occupation that he purchased and restored following the fall of the Soviet Union on June 26, 2023. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/rnc08_forweb38.jpg SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA. Henry Kissinger with the Texas delegation at the conclusion of the Republican National Convention at the XCel Center on day four, September 4, 2008. SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA. Henry Kissinger with the Texas delegation at the conclusion of the Republican National Convention at the XCel Center on day four, September 4, 2008. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/ibrahimov_fornytmag02.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. (Center) Ibrahim Ibrahimov, an Azerbaijani oligarch and billionaire, talks on his cell phone at the breakfast table while seated between his wife (at left) Valida Ibrahimli and son Huseyn, 18, in one of several houses on his Caspian seaside property he used to inhabit with his family in the Garadagh region just southwest of Baku, Azerbaijan on July 18, 2012. Ibrahimov is the developer behind the Khazar Islands artificial islands project; in his private life, he enjoys building a home for his family, moving in, and then quickly tires of the property before building a new home on an adjacent lot on his seaside lands. (Credit: Amanda Rivkin/VII Mentor Program for The New York Times Magazine) BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. (Center) Ibrahim Ibrahimov, an Azerbaijani oligarch and billionaire, talks on his cell phone at the breakfast table while seated between his wife (at left) Valida Ibrahimli and son Huseyn, 18, in one of several houses on his Caspian seaside property he used to inhabit with his family in the Garadagh region just southwest of Baku, Azerbaijan on July 18, 2012. Ibrahimov is the developer behind the Khazar Islands artificial islands project; in his private life, he enjoys building a home for his family, moving in, and then quickly tires of the property before building a new home on an adjacent lot on his seaside lands. (Credit: Amanda Rivkin/VII Mentor Program for The New York Times Magazine) https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/azwomen35.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Emin Milli, a blogger and opposition activist heavily championed by the West who was imprisoned for 17 months on hooliganism charges following a video he made satirizing his country's leadership, remarries for the second time a painter Tora Agabekova following his divorce from a previous marriage earlier this year after being released from prison on November 12, 2011. To Emin's right is Adnan Hajizade, who served with him in jail and now serves as a witness at his wedding. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Emin Milli, a blogger and opposition activist heavily championed by the West who was imprisoned for 17 months on hooliganism charges following a video he made satirizing his country's leadership, remarries for the second time a painter Tora Agabekova following his divorce from a previous marriage earlier this year after being released from prison on November 12, 2011. To Emin's right is Adnan Hajizade, who served with him in jail and now serves as a witness at his wedding. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc14.jpg ALAKHI SANGORI, GEORGIA. Mariam Aptsiauri and her husband Anzori Aptsiauri in their home on August 1, 2010. While the Aptsiauris have received nothing yet in compensation for having the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline traverse their farmlands, destroying the possibility for continued agricultural production there because of damage to the topsoil and live in poverty, their neighbor Gia Obgaidze is likely the largest recipient of compensation funds in Georgia, which he used to start a chicken farm in addition to remodeling his home; according to an attorney who formerly handled compensation issues with the Young Lawyers Association, Obgaidze likely received 187,000 Georgian lari or approximately $100,000. ALAKHI SANGORI, GEORGIA. Mariam Aptsiauri and her husband Anzori Aptsiauri in their home on August 1, 2010. While the Aptsiauris have received nothing yet in compensation for having the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline traverse their farmlands, destroying the possibility for continued agricultural production there because of damage to the topsoil and live in poverty, their neighbor Gia Obgaidze is likely the largest recipient of compensation funds in Georgia, which he used to start a chicken farm in addition to remodeling his home; according to an attorney who formerly handled compensation issues with the Young Lawyers Association, Obgaidze likely received 187,000 Georgian lari or approximately $100,000. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/btc02.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Young girls dress themselves appropriately for prayer upon entering the Shi'a Icherishahar Djuma Masjid or Innercity Mosque for Friday prayers in the old city on July 2, 2010. Viewed as "the wrong message" by the ruling regime of Ilham Aliyev, Islam has been shunned in favor of opulence and materialism for the elite and the imam of the Icherishahar Djuma Masjid was replaced after dalliances with the opposition in 2005, the time of the last major civil disturbances, and Iranian-style clericalism; the wider effect in Azeri society of the corruption that resulted from the second oil boom of the 1990s has left the society of the elite with great wealth but an absence of moral leadership, yet few have turned to Islam for answers. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. Young girls dress themselves appropriately for prayer upon entering the Shi'a Icherishahar Djuma Masjid or Innercity Mosque for Friday prayers in the old city on July 2, 2010. Viewed as "the wrong message" by the ruling regime of Ilham Aliyev, Islam has been shunned in favor of opulence and materialism for the elite and the imam of the Icherishahar Djuma Masjid was replaced after dalliances with the opposition in 2005, the time of the last major civil disturbances, and Iranian-style clericalism; the wider effect in Azeri society of the corruption that resulted from the second oil boom of the 1990s has left the society of the elite with great wealth but an absence of moral leadership, yet few have turned to Islam for answers. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/azwomen01.jpg BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. A young dancer participates in Azerbaijan's Ballroom Dancing National Finals at a wedding palace in the Surakhani District on November 27, 2011. BAKU, AZERBAIJAN. A young dancer participates in Azerbaijan's Ballroom Dancing National Finals at a wedding palace in the Surakhani District on November 27, 2011. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/maidanheroes09.jpg REFAT, 19 Refat, 19, a Ukrainian soldier from Crimea, sits on his hospital bed at the Main Military Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kiev, Ukraine on April 8, 2014. Refat was shot in the left knee by a sniper on February 20, 2014 while trying to maintain a line of soldiers on orders and had the lower part of his left leg amputated from above the knee. "We had orders to stand in the line. In the morning, it was quite calm and silent and then the protesters started to attack and they threw a grenade and I walked away from there and then I felt a sniper's bullet in my knee. It was the morning of February 20 and we were unarmed. I was standing with just a shield. That morning there was shooting from both sides. The criminal case is still open and nobody knows why they were shooting. I blame the president. I want a normal president and stability to come to Ukraine. I want to stay in Kiev and enter the main university and study law. I want to become a prosecutor. I want things to be calm here in Ukraine." -Refat REFAT, 19 Refat, 19, a Ukrainian soldier from Crimea, sits on his hospital bed at the Main Military Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Kiev, Ukraine on April 8, 2014. Refat was shot in the left knee by a sniper on February 20, 2014 while trying to maintain a line of soldiers on orders and had the lower part of his left leg amputated from above the knee. "We had orders to stand in the line. In the morning, it was quite calm and silent and then the protesters started to attack and they threw a grenade and I walked away from there and then I felt a sniper's bullet in my knee. It was the morning of February 20 and we were unarmed. I was standing with just a shield. That morning there was shooting from both sides. The criminal case is still open and nobody knows why they were shooting. I blame the president. I want a normal president and stability to come to Ukraine. I want to stay in Kiev and enter the main university and study law. I want to become a prosecutor. I want things to be calm here in Ukraine." -Refat https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/cyprus17.jpg NICOSIA, CYPRUS. Stavros Agriotis, a Cypriot financial services executive, is seen in his home office on March 28, 2013. NICOSIA, CYPRUS. Stavros Agriotis, a Cypriot financial services executive, is seen in his home office on March 28, 2013. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/portrait_marykaylady.jpg CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA. Mary Kay saleswoman stands beside her Mary Kay white Chevrolet Malibu in the parking lot of the Cavalier Inn on June 4, 2012. CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA. Mary Kay saleswoman stands beside her Mary Kay white Chevrolet Malibu in the parking lot of the Cavalier Inn on June 4, 2012. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/DSC_5103.jpg BERN, SWITZERLAND. Irina Venediktova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Switzerland and the former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, in the Ukrainian Embassy on February 21, 2023. BERN, SWITZERLAND. Irina Venediktova, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Switzerland and the former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, in the Ukrainian Embassy on February 21, 2023. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/cabrini01.jpg CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Grant Newburger, 50, a supporter of Bob Avakian's Revolutionary Communist Party, in his apartment at 1230 N. Burling, a Cabrini Green high rise, on the corner of North Halsted and Division Streets on Chicago's Near North Side, December 18, 2007. Newburger has lived and worked as a community organizer at the once notorious and now partially demolished Cabrini Green since 1996, fighting the Chicago Housing Authority's "Plan for Transformation." CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Grant Newburger, 50, a supporter of Bob Avakian's Revolutionary Communist Party, in his apartment at 1230 N. Burling, a Cabrini Green high rise, on the corner of North Halsted and Division Streets on Chicago's Near North Side, December 18, 2007. Newburger has lived and worked as a community organizer at the once notorious and now partially demolished Cabrini Green since 1996, fighting the Chicago Housing Authority's "Plan for Transformation." https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk07.jpg BELGRADE, SERBIA. Jelena Karleusa arrives in custom Versace according to her Instagram ahead of a concert on the splav, or barge, River on the night of July 3, 2015. Karleusa is the lone turbofolk star who has been outspoken on the issue of gay rights and many of her looks have been copied by the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Kim Kardashian; in an e-mail Karleusa declared she doesn't sing turbofolk music, despite having deep roots in the industry and coming up through the same television channels, venues and other mechanisms used to promote turbofolk, but refused repeated requests to clarify the description of her music. BELGRADE, SERBIA. Jelena Karleusa arrives in custom Versace according to her Instagram ahead of a concert on the splav, or barge, River on the night of July 3, 2015. Karleusa is the lone turbofolk star who has been outspoken on the issue of gay rights and many of her looks have been copied by the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Kim Kardashian; in an e-mail Karleusa declared she doesn't sing turbofolk music, despite having deep roots in the industry and coming up through the same television channels, venues and other mechanisms used to promote turbofolk, but refused repeated requests to clarify the description of her music. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/turbofolk05.jpg NIS, SERBIA. Vladislava Djuric, 30, holds her nationally famous icon of Svetlana Raznatovic, better known as Ceca, which garnered national headlines after pictures went viral of it taken during a student exhibition at Djuric's university, on July 10, 2015. Ceca, a turbofolk star better known as "the Mother of Serbia," was married to one of the Bosnian War's most notorious Serbian military commanders, Arkan, who was later assassinated, and was one of a rotating cast of turbofolk stars who gave daily concerts in Belgrade's Republic Square during the 1999 NATO bombing. NIS, SERBIA. Vladislava Djuric, 30, holds her nationally famous icon of Svetlana Raznatovic, better known as Ceca, which garnered national headlines after pictures went viral of it taken during a student exhibition at Djuric's university, on July 10, 2015. Ceca, a turbofolk star better known as "the Mother of Serbia," was married to one of the Bosnian War's most notorious Serbian military commanders, Arkan, who was later assassinated, and was one of a rotating cast of turbofolk stars who gave daily concerts in Belgrade's Republic Square during the 1999 NATO bombing. https://cdn.neonsky.app/4bd5ebfae2643/images/bosnia04.jpg SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. Architect Ivan Straus, 86, one of the star architects of the former Yugoslavia responsible for designing the Holiday Inn Sarajevo as well as Sarajevo's Twin Towers, sits in his living room at the dining room table on October 13, 2014. SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA. Architect Ivan Straus, 86, one of the star architects of the former Yugoslavia responsible for designing the Holiday Inn Sarajevo as well as Sarajevo's Twin Towers, sits in his living room at the dining room table on October 13, 2014. https://amandarivkin.com/tearsheets monthly 0.8