International ships call at the busy Port of New Orleans. It's a major shipping convergence point on the Mississippi River. Ships come upriver from the Gulf of Mexico with imports from abroad, and barges come downriver, bringing U.S. goods for export. Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption

When Superstorm Sandy came ashore, Bellevue Hospital was quickly submerged. Inspectors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency marked the flood line in the basement with orange tape or spray paint. In some areas, water was 14 feet deep. Fred Mogul/NPR hide caption

Miles Davis' Live in Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 is a compilation of previously unreleased material performed by a short-lived incarnation of his touring band. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

A concealed handgun permit holder waits to enter the General Assembly building in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 21. Known as "gun lobby day," crowds of gun owners visited the capital to argue in favor of gun rights. Most states in the U.S. allow people to openly carry guns in certain public places. Bob Brown/Courtesy of Richmond Times-Dispatch hide caption

Twins in Malawi helped scientists discover a role the gut microbiome appears to play in severe malnutrition. Photograph courtesy of Tanya Yatsunenko hide caption

Butch Morris leads a conduction at the 2007 Skopje Jazz Festival in Macedonia. Samir Ljuma for NPR hide caption

For chef and restaurateur Jose Garces, watching football on television as a boy also meant snacking on his mother's homemade empanadas. Jason Varney hide caption

Investigators are still looking into the cause of fires and overheating aboard Boeing's new 787s. Shizuo Kambayashi/AP hide caption

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are not required to perform military service in Israel, and the issue is subject to intense debate following the country's election last week. Here, ultra-Orthodox men sign up for alternate civilian service earlier this month. Baz Ratner/Reuters /Landov hide caption