2016 Tokyo Auto Salon car show
From a Lamborghini encrusted with pink Swarovski crystals to a car covered in flowers, the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon, one of the biggest custom car shows, began on Friday, January 15.
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Baltimore neighborhoods
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Year in review
Freddie Gray: protests, aftermath
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A. Aubrey Bodine
Viewing Baltimore from above
From the Vault: The Blizzard of 1996
Excerpt from an article published on January 8, 1996
One of the biggest winter storms of the century slammed into Maryland yesterday, paralyzing the state with a blinding mix of fast-falling snow and ferocious winds that could turn this morning’s commute into a slow, agonizing crawl.
If there’s a commute at all.
Motorists were expected to face nearly 2 feet of powdery snow. Forecasters say the snow, driven by winds with gusts topping 30 mph, will make it tough — if not impossible — for plows to keep major highways clear before the first commuters venture out around dawn.
Shipping mania: rushing to deliver millions of holiday gifts
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The humming is constant; a low-pitched drone from 155 miles of conveyer belts racing packages in every direction. Boxes shift from one belt to another and bump into a metal wall. Thud. Thud. Thud. In the background, trucks beep and jet engines roar.
Forget jingling bells and ho-ho-hos, these are now the sounds of the holidays.
As more gift-givers shop online, there are more packages to ship. Online sales now account for 10 percent of all shopping and 15 percent during the holidays, according to research firm Forrester. That leaves FedEx and UPS with a combined 947 million packages to deliver between Black Friday and Christmas Eve — up 8 percent from last holiday season’s forecasts.
Horses make wild patients at Israeli hospital
RISHON LEZION, Israel (AP) — At Israel’s main equine hospital, the animals can be wild patients, creating some unique challenges for the veterinarians treating them.
“They are not good patients,” said Dr. Gal Kelmer, who heads the large animal department at Hebrew University’s Koret School of Veterinary Medicine. “I get a lot of satisfaction when things work.”
Veterinarians at the hospital operate on about two dozen horses a month, most of them pleasure and show horses. To prepare a horse for surgery, anesthesiologists slip an infusion into the animal’s jugular vein, which is harder to dislodge than an IV in the leg.
Panda cub in Washington is thriving ahead of public debut
WASHINGTON (AP) — If the youngest giant panda cub at the National Zoo is stressed out about appearing in front of crowds for the first time, he isn’t showing it.
Keepers were expecting Bei Bei (BAY BAY) to squawk and squirm during an audience with a small news media contingent Monday. Instead, under bright television lights with cameras clicking, he quickly fell asleep on an examination table, leaving a small puddle of drool on the tablecloth.
Panda biologist Laurie Thompson explained that before he went in front of the cameras, Bei Bei was playing with a piece of bamboo and trying to walk. Just like a newborn human, he tires easily.
“I’m very proud of him,” Thompson said. “Obviously, he wasn’t too bothered by all the people here. This is just the beginning for him as far as people go.”
Bei Bei is ready for his close-up. The cub will make a few appearances before selected audiences ahead of his public debut on Jan. 16, when the panda house will reopen. That’s also around the time Bei Bei will be sure enough on his feet that he’ll get to venture into the outdoor panda habitat for the first time.
Dubai, the Manhattan of the Middle East
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — With its glistening skyscrapers and man-made waterways, Dubai Marina is a playground for the rich.
Dubai’s rapid transformation from a desert outpost into one of the world’s most architecturally stunning cities is mapped out in the Marina. What 15 years ago was mostly empty land is today a bustling neighborhood with a skyline that pierces through the clouds.
More than 150 high-rise buildings, stacked row after row, make up this 50 million square foot (4.65 million square meter) waterfront neighborhood built around a man-made canal where the wealthy park their yachts.
The area is sometimes referred to as the Manhattan of the Middle East and some of its buildings are promoted by realtors as having “Manhattan-style” architecture and amenities. A 12,400 square foot (1,152 square meter) apartment in the Marina was put on the market this year for a cool 56 million dirhams, or about $15.25 million.
From the vault: Hanukkah
Hanukkah, a remembrance of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem almost 2,200 years ago, began at sundown Sunday and continues through Dec. 14. Read more
Pope opens the church’s Holy Doors, launching the Holy Year of Mercy
Pope Francis pushed open the great bronze doors of St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday to launch his Holy Year of Mercy, declaring that mercy trumps moralizing in his Catholic Church.
Francis stood in prayer on the threshold of the basilica’s Holy Door then walked through it, the first of an estimated 10 million faithful who will pass through over the course of the next year in a rite of pilgrimage dating back centuries.
A thin and frail Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI walked through the doorway right after Francis, gingerly negotiating the two steps with the help of a cane and his longtime assistant. It was a rare outing for the 88-year-old Benedict, whose historic resignation led to Francis’ election and a papacy dedicated to showing the merciful side of the church.
Some 5,000 extra police, carabinieri and soldiers have been deployed around Rome, and a no-fly zone imposed on its skies, to protect the pilgrims who are flocking to Rome on foot, by car, train and plane to participate in the yearlong celebration.
“Santa Runs” across the globe
From Micendendorf, Germany to Sydney, Australia, and a few places in between, thousands dressed up like the jolly old elf to participate in annual “Santa Runs.”
From the vault: Holiday lights
From the annual lighting of the Washington Monument to Hampden’s Miracle on 34th Street, Baltimore is set aglow during the holidays.