Keith Bedford / Reuters
Oded Balilty / AP
Ultra-Orthodox Jews stand next to bonfires during Lag Ba'omer celebrations to commemorate the end of a plague said to have decimated Jews in Roman times, in Bnei Brak, Israel, on May 9, 2012.
Reuters reports — Lag Ba'omer marks the end of a plague that killed thousands of Jewish scholars in ancient times, as well as the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who had rebelled against Roman rule and is believed to be the author of the Zohar, the core text of Kabbalah mysticism. Holiday traditions include lighting bonfires and cutting the hair of three-year-old boys for the first time.
Previously on PhotoBlog:
Mike Segar / Reuters
A young boy watches a bonfire burn as Orthodox Jews of the Satmar Hassidim dance and celebrate the Jewish holiday of Lag Ba'omer in the village of Kiryas Joel, Orange County, New York, on May 9, 2012.
Ammar Awad / Reuters
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boys sit in front of girls and women as they look at a bonfire lit on the Jewish holiday of Lag Ba'omer in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood on May 9, 2012.
Ariel Schalit / AP
A man cuts a boy's hair next to the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai during Lag Ba'omer celebrations at Mt. Meron in northern Israel, on May 10, 2012.
Mike Segar / Reuters
Men of the Orthodox Jewish Satmar Hassidim crowd the steps of a synagogue (backround) as women of the sect stand in a separate area (front) as they celebrate Lag Ba'omer in the village of Kiryas Joel, New York, on May 9, 2012.
Nir Elias / Reuters
An ultra-Orthodox woman prays during traditional festivities for Lag Ba'omer near the grave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on Mount Meron in northern Israel on May 10, 2012.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Members of the Nassau County Police pull a Jet Blue A320 plane 100 feet during the third annual Jet Blue Airbus A320 Plane Tug at JFK Airport on May 7 in New York City.
Members of London's Metropolitan Police Service went head-to-head with U.S. law enforcement and airport crewmembers to see which team of up to 16 people could pull a 150,000 pound Jet Blue A320 aircraft 100 feet in the fastest time.
The "Brits vs. Yanks" competition raises money and awareness for the Joining Against Cancer Kids (JACK) Foundation, a UK based organization that funds Neuroblastoma cancer research.
A team of TSA employees had the fastest time of 32 seconds.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Kieren Marwood of the Metropolitan Police Services in London catches his breath after his team pulled a Jet Blue A320 plane 100 feet during the third annual Jet Blue Airbus A320 Plane Tug at JFK Airport on May 7.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Jet Blue Airways ground crews pull a Jet Blue A320 plane 100 feet during the third annual Jet Blue Airbus A320 Plane Tug at JFK Airport on May 7, 2012 in New York City.
Natalia Jimenez / msnbc.com
Visitors arrive at the Frieze Art Fair on Randall's Island in New York City on May 3.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
People walk through exhibits at the first New York Frieze Art Fair on May 4, 2012 in New York City.
Frieze New York provides a whirlwind snapshot of the contemporary art world. Over four days, the art fair brings together a selection of 182 galleries from 30 countries under a 250,000-square foot tented venue, designed by Brooklyn architects SO-IL. This is the first time the London based fair will be in New York City.
For more information about the art fair visit the Frieze New York website.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
People walk through exhibits at the first New York Frieze Art Fair on May 4, in New York City.
Natalia Jimenez / msnbc.com
A woman walks by artist Lothar Hempel's work on display as part of the Frieze New York Art Fair on Randall's Island in New York City.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
People walk through exhibits at the first New York Frieze Art Fair on May 4, in New York City.
Justin Lane / EPA
Dancers perform during open auditions for the Rockettes dance company's 2012 Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on May 3. Hundreds of dancers are trying out for a few spots in the dance company.
Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images
Aspiring dancers audition at Radio City Music Hall for a chance to become a world-famous Radio City Rockette in the upcoming 2012 production of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. This year will mark it's 85th season and the show will run from November 9 - December 30. 2012.
Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images
Aspiring dancers prepare to audition at Radio City Music Hall.
Justin Lane / EPA
Dancer Felicia Giunta (R), of Long Island, New York, checks her make up while waiting in line for open auditions for the Rockettes dance company's 2012 Radio City Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.
According to radiocity.com, Rockettes "must be between 5'6" and 5'10 1/2" tall" and proficient in jazz, tap, and ballet.
See more images of dancing in PhotoBlog.
Keith Bedford / Reuters
Job seeker Matthew Cox, the first person in line, cheers after picking up a job application form at the training offices of Local Union 46, a union representing metallic lathers and reinforcing ironworkers, in the Queens borough of New York on April 30. All images in this post were photographed on April 30 by Keith Bedford of Reuters.
Application forms were passed out to 500 people who camped in front of the offices of Local Union 46 in the Queens borough of New York for a week after the State Department of Labor and the union, which represents metallic lathers and reinforcing ironworkers, announced they were looking to hire 50 iron and wood apprentices.
--Reuters
Job seeker Dave Mugavero waits in front of the training offices of Local Union 46.
A job seeker puts on his boots after waking up in front of the training offices of Local Union 46.
Jestty Martinez hugs his partner and fellow job seeker Aida Munoz after waiting in front of the training offices of Local Union 46.
Keith Bedford / Reuters
Job seekers raise their hands as the numbers on their wristbands, which they were given when they began queuing last week, are called after waiting in front of the training offices of Local Union 46.
Keith Bedford / Reuters
Job seeker Matthew Cox, who was first in line, holds up a job application form at the training offices of Local Union 46.
Louis Lanzano / AP
Police investigate a destroyed van that plunged over the Bronx River Parkway, April 29, in New York. Authorities say the out-of-control van plunged off a roadway near the Bronx Zoo, killing seven people, including three children.
The seven victims were in the van. Three were girls, ages 7, 10, 12. The adults who died were an 84-year-old man and three women, ages 80, 45 and 30.
It is still unclear what caused the van to veer out of control but investigators believe it bounced off the median, crossing all southbound lanes before flipping over the guardrail. The area below was a non-public area of the 265-acre animal park. There were no animals or people on the ground.
David Duprey / AP
Birds perch on a branch during a spring snowstorm in Pembroke, N.Y. on April 23.
A spring nor'easter packing soaking rain and high winds churned up the Northeast Monday morning, unleashing a burst of winter and up to a foot of snow in higher elevations inland, closing some schools and sparking concerns of power outages.
A powerful spring storm dumped snow across parts of the Northeast overnight and cut power to more than 50,000 customers in Pennsylvania and upstate New York. The Weather Channel's Eric Fisher reports.
Bill Ingalls / NASA
The prototype space shuttle Enterprise is seen mated on top of NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft at Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Friday. Enterprise was the first orbiter built for the space shuttle program, but never went into orbit. It was used primarily for ground and flight tests within the atmosphere. Enterprise had been on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, but is now being prepared for its new home at the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum in New York.
A day after the space shuttle Discovery took its place at the Smithsonian, the prototype shuttle Enterprise is perched on a modified 747 jet for its journey to New York. Now the timing of the trip depends on East Coast weather.
Overnight, Enterprise was towed out to Dulles International Airport and hoisted up into the air with two giant cranes. The jet, known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft or SCA, was brought underneath the 75-ton artifact. Then Enterprise was lowered down and "soft-mated" onto the plane at three attach points. The bolts will be tightened down for hard-mating on Saturday, in preparation for the big flight to New York.
This is the same process that Discovery went through in Florida leading up to Tuesday's flight to Dulles for its installation at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, next to the airport. On Thursday, Enterprise was moved out of the space it held since the center's opening in 2003, and Discovery was moved in.
NASA had been planning for Enterprise and the SCA to take off from Dulles as early as Monday morning, but this afternoon the space agency said the flight would be delayed due to a forecast of inclement weather in Washington as well as New York. "Managers will continue to review weather forecasts and announce a new flight date as soon as practical," NASA said in its advisory.
When forecasters give the go-ahead, the shuttle-jet combo will head up the East Coast and do a series of New York flyovers. You can expect to see the double-decker behemoth sailing over the Statue of Liberty as well as the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the retooled ship where Enterprise will be put on display. After the flyovers, the Enterprise will be set down at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The shuttle-jet flight is old hat for Enterprise: The craft was the first vehicle built for the space shuttle program, and got its name in part thanks to a write-in campaign by "Star Trek" fans. Unlike the fictional starship, NASA's Enterprise never flew in space. Instead, it was used for ground tests as well as aerodynamic test flights atop the 747 carrier plane. Once the shuttle launches ramped up, Enterprise was deemed no longer needed for testing. It was handed over to the Smithsonian in 1985. The Udvar-Hazy Center's James S. McDonnell Space Hangar was specifically designed to show off the Enterprise.
After the 2003 Columbia tragedy, some sections of the Enterprise's wing panels were removed for impact tests, and those tests made a huge contribution to the accident investigation. That demonstrated that the shuttles can continue to benefit the space program long after their retirement.
It will take a few weeks for Enterprise to settle into its retirement home: The cranes will have to be set up for the shuttle's "demating" at JFK. Then Enterprise will have to be lifted onto a barge and brought up the Hudson River by a tugboat. The schedule calls for Enterprise to be hoisted aboard the Intrepid's flight deck sometime in June. It'll be put on display in a temporary climate-controlled pavilion this summer, and eventually housed in a permanent exhibit facility.
After Enterprise, there's one more shuttle-jet flight on tap: the transfer of Endeavour from NASA's Kennedy Space Center to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. That cross-country trip, due to take place in the latter part of this year, is likely to spark a nationwide frenzy of "Spot the Shuttle" sightings.
The last shuttle that flew in space, Atlantis, is going just down the road to Kennedy Space Center's visitor center, so there'll be no need to bring out the plane for that trip.
For more pictures of the Enterprise-747 mating, check out NASA Headquarters' Flickr gallery. And to get updates on the timing of Enterprise's flight and the flyovers, keep tabs on NASA's website as well as msnbc.com's space news section.
The protoype shuttle Enterprise will journey to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum on the Hudson River. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
More about the shuttle shuffle:
Updated 5:20 p.m. ET.
Alan Boyle is msnbc.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding Cosmic Log's Google+ page to your circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.
Kathy Willens / AP
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, sits beside Kermit the Frog during the New York Yankees home opener baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 13.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and NYC and Company, the city’s tourism and marketing organization, announced April 13 that the Muppets will act as the New York City’s official family ambassadors for the next year. The Muppets will encourage family travel to the Big Apple by highlighting the best ways for families to experience the city. The mayor appeared at a news conference with the Muppets and was later joined by Kermit the Frog at the New York Yankees home opener baseball game at Yankee Stadium.
Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg kisses Muppet Miss Piggy as Kermit the Frog looks on during a news conference on April 13 in New York City.
Allison Joyce / Reuters
Cocoa, a 3-year-old Alpine Pygmy mixed goat, takes a taxi ride in New York on April 7.
Allison Joyce / Reuters
Cyrus Fakroddin visits a store in SoHo with Cocoa, his pet goat, in New York on April 7.
Allison Joyce / Reuters
Cyrus Fakroddin and Cocoa dine at Mambo 'Taliano Ristorante & Piano Bar in Little Italy, New York.
Allison Joyce / Reuters
Cocoa rides the C train in New York.
Allison Joyce / Reuters
Cyrus Fakroddin and his pet goat Cocoa exit the subway in New York.
Cyrus Fakroddin and his 3-year-old Alpine Pygmy mixed goat, Cocoa, frequently take trips into Manhattan to enjoy the city. Fakroddin raised Cocoa since she was 2-months-old and treats her like a human.
"She doesn't like goats, she doesn't like farms, she likes the people and the city." Fakroddin said.
These pictures were taken on April 7, but made available to msnbc.com today.
Allison Joyce / Reuters
Cyrus Fakroddin and his pet goat Cocoa relax at their home in Summit, N. J. on April 7.
Andrew Burton / Reuters
Occupy Wall Street protester Brandon Crozier holds up a sign at the corner of Wall Street and Nassau Street, across the street from the New York Stock Exchange, in the Financial District in New York on April 12.
Andrew Burton / Reuters
A man walks past Occupy Wall Street protesters at the corner of Wall Street and Nassau Street on April 12. A group of protesters have slept at the corner for the past three nights.
Andrew Burton / Reuters
Occupy Wall Street protester Yoni Miller, right, speaks to a police officer at the corner of Wall Street and Nassau Street, across the street from the New York Stock Exchange, in the Financial District in New York on April 12.
Andrew Burton / Reuters
Occupy Wall Street protesters read a book on the steps of Federal Hall in the Financial District in New York on April 12. The protesters have slept at the corner Wall Street and Nassau Street, near the New York Stock Exchange, for the past three nights.
Protesters urge supporters to skip work on May 1
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