About Michael Gold

Posts by Michael Gold:

Coachella 2013 heats up with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Skrillex

Coachella 2013 heats up with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Skrillex

26 photos

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the annual eclectic music festival held in southern California’s sweltering heat, kicked off on April 12 for the first weekend of its two-weekend celebration. Per the Los Angeles Times, 160,000 people are expected to attend over the course of the festivals’ run.

More →

March Madness reviewed: Louisville Cardinals wins 2013 NCAA Men’s Championship

March Madness reviewed: Louisville Cardinals wins 2013 NCAA Men’s Championship

86 photos

The Louisville Cardinals beat out the Michigan Wolverines 82-87 for the top basketball title in the 2013 NCAA Men’s Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Monday.

Look back at our March Madness in review at the dunks, dribbles and “do you believe it?” wins of the 2013 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

More →

Grand National Steeplechase, Europe’s most famous jump race, held in UK

Grand National Steeplechase, Europe’s most famous jump race, held in UK

20 photos

The 166th running of the Grand National Steeplechase was held on Saturday in Liverpool, England. The world’s most famous jumping race, the Grand National features 40 horses and riders jumping 30 fences over a distance of almost four and a half miles. For spectators, the race is an excuse for some outlandish race day fashions and a chance to earn some major quid. Essentially, think of the Grand National as Britain’s Preakness or Kentucky Derby – with whatever that entails.

More →

Holi celebrations begin in India with local festival

Holi celebrations begin in India with local festival

24 photos

On March 27, Hindus across India and the Indian diaspora will observe Holi, a festival that in part marks the beginning of spring. In celebration, Hindu devotees spend the day smearing colored powder on each other’s faces and throwing colored water at friends and family, leading to Holi’s status as India’s “Festival of Colors.”

Local Holi celebrations often begin earlier, including Lathmar Holi in the northern Indian town of Barsana. Unique to the Lathmar Holi tradition is a ceremony where women use long sticks to beat men who sing provocative songs to invite their attention.

More →

Pope Francis’ inauguration mass draws thousands to Vatican

Pope Francis’ inauguration mass draws thousands to Vatican

32 photos

Six days after Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected as the new head of the Catholic Church, the newly dubbed Pope Francis was formally installed as the church’s next pontiff. Addressing thousands of people at his inauguration mass at the Vatican, the first Latin American pope delivered a homily on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.

More →

Picture This: Past favorites

Picture This: Past favorites

13 photos

On March 20, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., The Baltimore Sun will chronicle a day in the life of Baltimore — and we want your help. Show us how you work, play and go about your business on the first day of spring here in Charm City. We’ll feature some of the best shots on our website and print.

If you have a camera or a cell phone with a camera, we want to see what you see: the places you go, the people you meet and whatever else you may encounter. For inspiration, take a look at our favorite submissions from past Picture This contests.

How to submit your photos:

  • On Instagram and Twitter, tag your photos with #picturethis13
  • Upload photos directly to our user photo gallery.

More →

SXSW 2013 in photos

SXSW 2013 in photos

52 photos

Every year, hordes flock to Austin, Texas for South by Southwest (SXSW), a set of conferences and festivals with a broad appeal. For music lovers, it’s the unofficial start of the summer festival season; for cinephiles, it’s a chance to check out some off-the-radar indie films; and for techies, it’s a chance to explore new technologies and hear from some of the digital sphere’s best and brightest.

More →

A new pope’s new clothes

A new pope’s new clothes

14 photos

After meeting to discuss issues, the Catholic Church’s cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel on Tuesday afternoon to elect a new pope. Meanwhile, near the Pantheon in Rome, the tailors at Gammarelli will make preparations of their own.

For 200 years, the ecclesiastical tailors have been creating garb for bishops, cardinals, pontiffs and priests. As Catholics await the announcement of the Vatican’s next leader, Gammarelli is expected to be already creating papal garb — in small, medium and large sizes so whoever is chosen will get the right fit.

More →

Traditional headdresses, banned by Islamist group, return to Mali

Traditional headdresses, banned by Islamist group, return to Mali

16 photos

Issues surrounding women’s rights and the treatment of women received special attention around the globe during International Women’s Day on March 8. To commemorate the occasion, Reuters photographer Joe Penney documented traditional headdresses worn by the women of Gao in Mali.

Radical Islamist group MUJAO (Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa) placed limitations on these headdresses during their nine-month reign, which ended in January with the arrival of French and Malian troops. The headdresses, made of beads, gemstones, fabric and fake hair and traditionally worn by elites for special occasions, were criticized by MUJAO, who said they were not Islamic enough.

More →