페이지

2014년 12월 31일 수요일

2014년을 보내며

2014년이 종지부를 찍고 있다. 지난 일년을 돌아보며 기억을 더듬어 결산을 하고 싶다. 아틀란타에 와서 3년이 되어 지리도 익숙해졌고 삶도 제자리를 잡아 가는 중에 내가 하는 일도 열심히 하며 살았다.

어느 하나도 하나님의 은혜가 아닌 것이 없고 허락하신 시간과 공간에서 감사하고 기뻐하며 집사람과 사랑하며 살아 왔다. 60대 중반의 나이에 아직도 인격적으로나 신앙적으로 부족한 것 뿐이라 내세울 것이 없다. 무엇이든지 귀하게 여기고 깊은 애정을 가지고 열심으로 사랑하겠다는 마음을 가지고 지냈지만 도달해야할 목표에서 아직도 너무 떨어져 있다.

성령의 도우심으로, 할 수 없는 사랑과 겸손과 인내의 경주를 하겠다고 작심하고 살았지만
순간 순간 말한마디나 벌어지는 일로 인하여 평정을 잃고 흥분도 하며 상대방을 정죄하고 무시하며 교만한 마음을 가지고 내 주장만을 고집하였던 어리석은 짓을 수도 없이 하였다.

더욱 말씀대로 살고 선한 마음만을 가지며 살겠다고 다짐하고 노력했지만 허물과 실수를 거듭하면서 자신의 한계를 깨닫게 된다. 주의 도우심을 바라면서 인도하심에 순종하여 살기를 간절히 바란다.

새해에는 말을 아끼고 말에 실수가 없기를 기도한다. 덕을 세우며 사랑을 나누고 오래 참음으로 주의 희생과 겸손을 따라가려고 한다. 깊은 영성을 닦으며 기도로 하나님의 선하신 뜻을 깨닫기를 원하고 무익한 종으로 주의 일에 더욱 힘쓰며 맡겨진 일뿐 아니라 내 손을 내밀어 주위의 어렵고 힘든 이들을 도우며 살고 싶다. 또한 공부하는 언어도 열과 성을 가지고 하여 학문적 성취도 하면 좋겠다(스페인어, 중국어).

새해엔 기다리던 첫손녀를 대면하는 경사도 있다. 며느리가 순산하여 집안을 이어가는 귀한 자손이 되기를 기도한다. 지혜롭고 믿음의 유산을 이어가기를 바란다. 여러 도움을 받아 장만하게 될 새집에서 하나님의 일을 열심히 하면서 영광을 돌리는 처소가 되기를 바란다. 식구들이 영육간에 강건하여 언제나 기쁨과 감사가 넘치며 사랑 안에서 하나님의 귀한 자녀로 믿음이 더해가는 한 해가 되기를 기도한다.

가장 원하는 것은 주의 말씀대로 살면서 사랑을 마음껏 하고 싶다. 사랑의 깊이가 어디까지인지 알고 싶다. 아가페의 사랑이 삶의 구석 구석에 자리 잡아 못해 본 사랑을 나누며 살게 주께 간절이 기도하면서 한 해를 보내자.

주 만이 저를 인도하소서. 저의 미련이 주의 장중에서 쓰임 받기를 원합니다. 주여 자비와 긍휼을 베풀어 주소서. 아멘.

2014년 12월 30일 화요일

2014 조선일보 선정 10대 뉴스

입력 : 2014.12.30 03:00

[국내]


 304명 희생된 세월호… 與野 지지율도 동반 하락
304명 희생된 세월호… 與野 지지율도 동반 하락

4월 16일 세월호가 전남 진도 해역에서 침몰했다. 탑승객 476명 중 304명이 희생됐다. 올해 말까지 분향소를 찾은 조문객이 233만명이다. 정부와 정치권의 대응 능력도 참사 수준이었다. 유병언 전 세모그룹 회장을 검거하는 데 실패하고, 유 전 회장은 변사체로 발견됐다. 60%를 넘나들던 박근혜 대통령 지지율은 40%대로 하락했다. 새정치민주연합은 '세월호 심판론'으로 6월 지방선거 등을 치르려 했지만 오히려 김한길·안철수 공동대표 체제가 무                                                                                 너졌다.


 세월호 '블랙홀'… 경제도 사회도 침체의 늪에
세월호 '블랙홀'… 경제도 사회도 침체의 늪에

세월호 참사는 다소 살아나는 기미를 보이던 경기와 내수에 찬물을 끼얹었다. 온 국민이 세월호 트라우마에 시달리면서 여행과 공연 예약 취소가 잇따랐고, 음식점과 백화점에도 손님이 눈에 띄게 줄었다. 소비 심리가 무겁게 가라앉으면서 영화관, 놀이공원, 고속도로 이용자도 크게 줄었다. 소비 위축으로 인해 1분기 0.9%를 기록했던 실질 GDP 성장률은 2분기 0.5%로 급락했다. 결국 올해 GDP 성장률은 3%대로 떨어져 목표치(4%)에 훨씬 못 미치게                                                                                   됐다.


 통진당, 憲裁 해산 결정에 역사속으로 사라져
통진당, 憲裁 해산 결정에 역사속으로 사라져

헌법재판소는 12월 19일 통합진보당에 대해 위헌(違憲) 정당이라는 이유로 해산 결정을 내렸다. 통진당은 창당 4년 만에 역사 속으로 사라졌다. 재판관 9명 중 8명이 통진당 해산에 찬성했다. 헌재는 통진당 해산과 함께 소속 의원 5명에 대해서도 의원직을 박탈하는 결정을 내렸다. 해산 결정을 내린 이유에 대해 헌재는 통진당의 핵심 간부와 의원들이 과거 반국가단체인 민혁당에 뿌리를 두고 있으며, 이들의 최종 목표가 '북한식 사회주의 실현'이                                                                                 기 때문이라고 밝혔다.


 청와대 비선 실세 의혹… '정윤회 문건' 파문
청와대 비선 실세 의혹… '정윤회 문건' 파문

박근혜 대통령이 국회의원으로 활동하던 시절에 비서실장을 지냈던 정윤회씨가 청와대 핵심 비서관 3인방 등과 수시로 모여 국정에 개입한다는 내용의 청와대 공직기강비서관실 문건이 유출돼 11월 언론에 보도됐다. 정씨 측과 박지만 EG 회장의 권력 암투설로까지 비화했다. 결국 검찰 수사로 이어졌고, 정씨와 박 회장 모두 소환 조사를 받았다. 검찰은 문건 내용을 허위로 잠정 결론짓고 문건 작성과 유출에 관여한 혐의로 박관천 경정(전 청와대                                                                               행정관)을 구속했다.


 朴대통령 '통일은 대박'… 드레스덴 선언
朴대통령 "통일은 대박"… 드레스덴 선언

박근혜 대통령은 1월 6일 기자회견에서 "통일은 대박"이라며 "한반도 통일은 우리 경제가 대도약할 기회"라고 말했다. 박 대통령은 이어 1월 22일 스위스 다보스포럼에서 "통일은 한반도뿐 아니라 주변국들에도 큰 이익이 될 것"이라고 했고, 3월엔 독일 통일의 상징인 드레스덴에서 대북(對北) 3대 제안을 포함한 '드레스덴 통일 구상'을 발표했다. 7월엔 통일준비위원회를 출범시키고 직접 위원장을 맡았다.


 총리 후보 줄줄이 낙마…  청와대의 인사 실패
총리 후보 줄줄이 낙마…  청와대의 인사 실패

'세월호 정국'을 수습하기 위해 박근혜 대통령은 5월 국무총리 교체를 포함한 개각 카드를 꺼냈으나 두 명의 총리 후보자가 연이어 낙마했다. 안대희 전 대법관은 변호사 고액 수임료 논란으로 6일 만에 사퇴했다. 문창극 전 중앙일보 주필은 과거 교회 강연에서 했던 발언이 '친일 사관(史觀)' 논란에 휩싸이면서 후보로 거론된 지 2주 만에 물러났다. 결국 박 대통령은 사의를 밝힌 지 60일이 지난 정홍원 총리를 유임시키는 전례 없는 결정을 했다.


 프란치스코 교황 訪韓… 이 땅의 상처를 보듬다
프란치스코 교황 訪韓… 이 땅의 상처를 보듬다

지난 8월 프란치스코 교황의 방한은 종교적 의미에 더해 이 시대 리더십의 방향을 보여줬다. 한국에 100시간 가까이 머무는 동안 교황은 갈등 당사자의 한쪽 편을 들지 않았다. 대신 성심을 다해 고통을 경청하고 함께 아파했다. 한국 땅을 밟는 순간부터 로마로 돌아가는 비행기에서까지 챙긴 세월호 사건이 그랬고, 일본군위안부 문제가 그랬다. 목소리 높이는 대신 고통에 귀 기울이며 솔선하는 교황의 리더십은 바티칸의 기득권 철옹성도 녹이고 있                                                                                 다.


 군대 내 가혹 행위·탈영에 총기난사 잇따라
군대 내 가혹 행위·탈영에 총기난사 잇따라

군(軍)에서는 올해 전례 없는 사건·사고가 이어졌다. 4월 육군 28사단에서는 윤모 일병이 선임병들의 지속적이고 엽기적인 가혹 행위로 숨졌으나 군은 3개월 가까이 은폐한 의혹으로 지탄받았다. 6월에는 '관심병사'였던 22사단 임모 병장이 부대원들에게 총기를 난사하고 탈영해 추격전을 벌였다. 9월에는 신현돈 1군사령관이 음주 문제로 전역 조치됐으며, 10월에는 육군 17사단장이 집무실에서 여군을 성추행한 혐의로 긴급체포됐다.


 땅콩 하나 때문에… 항공기 되돌린 재벌 3세
땅콩 하나 때문에… 항공기 되돌린 재벌 3세

대한항공 오너가(家) 3세인 조현아 대한항공 전 부사장의 '항공기 회항' 논란이 올 연말을 달구었다. 조 전 부사장은 12월 5일 자신이 타고 있던 미국 뉴욕발 대한항공 일등석에서 승무원의 견과류 제공 서비스를 문제삼아 이륙 준비 중인 항공기를 되돌려 사무장을 내리게 했다. 이 사건이 알려지자 "재벌 3세의 일탈 행위"라며 비판이 들끓었다. 국토부는 대한항공에 대해 운항정지 등 제재 계획을 발표했으며, 검찰은 조 전 부사장에 대한 사법처리 절차                                                                               를 밟고 있다.


 이건희 회장, 8개월째 병상에… 삼성 실적 둔화
이건희 회장, 8개월째 병상에… 삼성 실적 둔화

이건희 삼성전자 회장이 5월 10일 밤 서울 이태원동 자택에서 급성심근경색을 일으켰다. 이 회장은 자택 인근 순천향병원에서 심폐소생술을 받고 삼성서울병원으로 이송돼 막힌 심혈관을 넓히는 심장 스텐트 시술을 받았지만 현재까지 8개월째 병상에 있다. 이 회장이 쓰러지면서 삼성은 스마트폰 실적 둔화의 수렁에 빠져드는 등 경영 리스크가 불거졌다. 삼성은 제일모직·삼성SDS 등을 상장하며 이재용 부회장 중심으로 지배구조 개편 작업을 벌이                                                                                 고 있다.


[출처] 본 기사는 조선닷컴에서 작성된 기사 입니다

2014년 12월 25일 목요일

2014년 내쇼날 지오그라프 지 사진 대회 수상작 : Winners of the 2014 National Geographic Photo Contest

National Geographic Magazine just announce the winners of this year's photo contest. The Grand Prize Winner, Brian Yen, will receive $10,000 and a trip to National Geographic headquarters to participate in its annual photography seminar. Gathered below are the winning images from the People, Nature, and Places categories, as well as honorable mentions, with captions written by the individual photographers. 

Grand Prize Winner. "A Node Glows in the Dark" In the last ten years, mobile data, smartphones and social networks have forever changed our existence. Although this woman stood at the center of a jam-packed train, the warm glow from her phone told the strangers around her that she wasn't really there. She managed to slip away from "here" for a short moment; she's a node flickering on the social web, roaming the Earth, free as a butterfly. Photographed in Hong Kong. (© Brian Yen/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Honorable Mention, Nature. "Shoulder Creek" A wild short eared owl completes a shoulder check in case something was missed. Northern harriers were also hunting in the field and these raptors will often steal a kill from the owls. Photographed in Boundary Bay, BC, Canada. (© Henrik Nilsson/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Honorable Mention, People. "Tea Time in the Hut" Little discussion with a doll in a plastic box, not inherently beautiful. But with this slice of light, it looks like a bubble invented to dream in an imaginative world. Photographed in Paris. (© Karie Puret/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Winner, Nature. "The Great Migration" Jump of the wildebeest at the Mara river. Photographed in the North Serengeti, Tanzania. (© Nicole Cambre/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Honorable Mention, People. "Biltigiri" The chef of Ramnami people in Chhattisgarh, India. Ramnami tattoo the name of the lord "Ram" on their body. Their entire focus is on the name of Ram, the name of God that is most dear to them. The Ramnami Samaj is a sect of harijan (Untouchable) Ram. Formed in the 1890s, the sect has become a dominant force in the religious life of the area. The tattoo is the result of their devotion and also, a gift and an acknowledgement from Ram. (© Mattia Passarini/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Honorable Mention, Places. "The Storm" During a photo session with my nephew, the storm came and I caught this beautiful moment. Photographed in Kocaeli, Turkey. (© Aytul Akbas/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, Nature. "Dragon" Ice art on a window in Tabasalu, Estonia. (© Maie Kirnmann/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, People. "Children in the darkness" Disabled children living in Syria war. Photographed in Termanin, Syria. (© Abdullah Alghajar/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, Nature. "Muscle Power" This playful fight amongst two young sub-adult tigers was indeed a brilliant life time opportunity, that lasted exactly 4-5 seconds. The cubs were sitting in the grass as dusk approached when suddenly one of them sneaked up behind the other and what happened next is captured in this image. This playful fight amongst the siblings is what prepares them for their survival in the wild. The sheer power of the Tiger is beautifully captured in this image and portrays the sheer muscle power that these magnificent cats possess. May 5th, 2014, Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. (© Archna Singh/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, Places. "Tokyo - Shinagawa Station" I was up at an ungodly hour to make it to the Tsukiji Fish Market, in Tokyo. With so many amazing things to see in the city, I had hardly slept, and managed to get off at the wrong station. Wave after wave of people kept coming through the station passageway. I spied a coffee shop with a vantage point and managed to snap a free shots, camera resting on the ledge. After the caffeine kicked in, I was ready to brave the river of people. (© Peter Franc/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, People. "Dead Sea Mudbathing" Seekers of eternal youth coat themselves in mineral-rich mud, at the Dead Sea in Israel. (© Nicholas Riley/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, Places. "Destroyed Homs" Birds fly over the destroyed houses in Khalidiya district in Homs, Syria. In the vast stillness of the destroyed city center of Homs, there are large areas where nothing moves. Then, suddenly, wind blows a ripped awning, or birds fly overhead. (© Sergey Ponomarev/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Honorable Mention, Nature. "Stag Deer Bellowing" Stag Deer Bellowing in Richmond Park, London. (© Prashant Meswani/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Honorable Mention, People. "My brothers and I" Our road trip down to Miami traversed this outlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We rested on this ridge overlooking the mountains. Though we argued consistently throughout the journey, here we were reminded of our brotherhood. (© Tyler Greenfield/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Winner, Places. "Bathing in Budapest" The Thermal Spa in Budapest is one of the favorite activities of the Hungarian especially in winter. We were fortunate to gain special access to shoot in the Thermal Spa thanks to our tour guide, Gabor. I love how the mist caused by the great difference in temperature between the the hot spa water and the atmosphere. It makes the entire spa experience more surreal and mystical. (© Triston Yeo/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, Nature. "Zebras and the rim of the Crater" Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, is the world's largest inactive volcanic caldera. It is a collapsed volcano that harbors a range of African wildlife that live in relatively close proximity and competition of each other. Zebras are amongst the most common animals in the crater along with wildebeest, gazelles, hyenas, and lions. On a clear day, a 360 degree view of the crater rim can be seen whilst being inside. (© Zikri Teo/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, People. "Waiting" He was waiting on the bed, lost in thoughts, while his wife was preparing the bread to be blessed for the orthodox Eucharist. Photographed in the village of Sarbi, Maramure (Romania). (© Roberto Fiore/National Geographic Photo Contest) 
Honorable Mention, Nature. On a windy day right after a Cyclone passed the far northern Great Barrier Reef I took some friends out to the reef. Never before I saw that many glass fish on this particular coral 'bommie' . Just when I set up my camera, this Napoleon Wrasse swam right through the school of fish building a living frame. (© Christian Miller/National Geographic Photo Contest)
Honorable Mention, People. "Temper" A young girl throws a temper tantrum in a Bangkok shopping mall. June, 2014. (© Adam Birkan/National Geographic Photo Contest)

2014년 12월 11일 목요일

사진으로 보는 2014년 9월 - 12월:2014: The Year in Photos, September-December

As the year comes to a close, it's time to take a look back at some of the most memorable events and images of 2014, a particularly brutal year. Among the events covered in this essay (the last of a three-part photo summary of the year): severe drought in California, Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement protests, raging battles and U.S. airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria, victories for same-sex marriage proponents in the U.S., the successful test launch of NASA's new Orion spacecraft, and crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo.

A protester holds her hands up in front of a police car in Ferguson, Missouri, on November 25, 2014 during demonstrations a day after violent protests and looting following the grand jury decision in the fatal shooting of a 18-year-old black teenager Michael Brown. Protest marches sprang up in cities across the US on November 25, amid a tense security operation in Ferguson, the Missouri town at the center of the country's latest racially-charged stand-off. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

A child waves a pro-independence "Yes" flag on the streets of Aberdeen in Scotland, on September 15, 2014. Scotland held an independence referendum on September 18, asking simply "Should Scotland be an independent country?" The answer was "No", with 55.3% of the votes. (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images) 
House boats are dwarfed by the steep banks of a shrinking Lake Oroville on August 19, 2014 in Oroville, California. As the severe drought in California continues for a third straight year, water levels in the State's lakes and reservoirs reached historic lows. Lake Oroville is currently at 32 percent of its capacity. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) 
Nowa Paye, 9, is taken to an ambulance after showing signs of Ebola infection in the village of Freeman Reserve, about 30 miles north of Monrovia, Liberia, on September 30, 2014. Three members of District 13 ambulance service traveled to the village to pickup six suspected Ebola sufferers that had been quarantined. Months into the world's worst-ever Ebola outbreak, and the first to happen in an unprepared West Africa, the gap between what has been sent by other countries and private groups and what is desperately needed is huge. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures while speaking to a huge audience at Madison Square Garden in New York, during a visit to the United States, September 28, 2014. Modi was sworn in as India's newest Prime Minister in May of 2014. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson) 
Leng Yuting, 26, poses underwater for her wedding pictures at a photo studio in Shanghai on September 3, 2014, ahead of her wedding next year. Her fiance Riyang said they had their wedding photographs taken underwater because "it's romantic and beautiful." (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)
The Meadow Fire burns in Yosemite National Park, California, on September 8, 2014. The fire, which flared out of control on Sunday afternoon, stranded 85 hikers on top of Half Dome, the park's signature rock formation, requiring them to be flown out by helicopter, Yosemite spokeswoman Ashley Mayer said. (Reuters/Jeffrey Trust/National Park Service)
A Palestinian man plays with his baby on a beach in Gaza city on September 7, 2014. (Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images) 
An aerial picture taken on September 14, 2014 shows a plane flying over the Bardarbunga volcano spewing lava and smoke in southeast Iceland. The Bardarbunga volcano system has been rocked by hundreds of tremors daily since mid-August, prompting fears the volcano could explode. Bardarbunga, at 2,000 meters (6,500 feet), is Iceland's second-highest peak and is located under Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajoekull. (Bernard Meric/AFP/Getty Images)
The body of Tatiana Medvedeva, killed in an attack on a bus, covered by a jacket in the town of Donetsk, on September 16, 2014. Battles in eastern Ukraine killed more than 4,250 people in 2014. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic) 
"Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" by artist Paul Cummins, under construction in the moat of the Tower of London on September 10, 2014. Each of the 888,246 ceramic poppies represents an allied victim of the First World War, which started 100 years ago, in 1914. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
A temple stands amid the waters of the overflowing river Tawi during heavy rains in Jammu on September 6, 2014. Authorities declared a disaster alert in the northern region after heavy rain hit villages across the Kashmir valley, causing the worst flooding in decades. (Reuters/Mukesh Gupta) 
The top layer of muskeg and earth (right), and the underlying tar sands (left) after the removal of the muskeg, at the Syncrude tar sands operations near Fort McMurray, Alberta, on September 17, 2014. The Alberta tar sands are currently producing around two million barrels of oil per day, with plans to increase that to nearly four million barrels per day by 2022. (Reuters/Todd Korol)
Zhiliang, whose fiancee was onboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which disappeared on March 8, 2014, sits silhouetted in an empty house which he had planned to decorate with her for their marriage, in Tianjin, on August 26, 2014. Photographer Kim Kyung-Hoon: "Almost six months had passed since the Malaysian Airlines MH370 disappeared. Although authorities concluded that the plane crashed in the remote Indian Ocean and lost all the passengers, many family members refuse to accept that conclusion. They hope that they are still alive. However, public interest towards this incident faded, so I decided to record what these family members are still going through and shed light on this mysterious incident once again. I thought that portrait-style pictures showing family members together with the missing passengers' mementos would tell a story. I was very careful not to hurt their feelings or invade their privacy when taking these pictures. My first priority was showing my respect for the family members, so before photographing them, I would wait to ask their permission to take pictures until I felt that they were ready and would always spend some time listening to them talk. Sometimes this brought tears to my eyes". (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon) 
Activist Cornel West is knocked over during a scuffle with police during a protest at the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri, on October 13, 2014. Hundreds of protesters converged in the pouring rain on the Ferguson police department as they launched another day of demonstrations over the August killing by police of an unarmed black teenager. (Reuters/Jim Young) 
The Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket explodes in the air during a test flight on October 31, 2014. The explosion killed a pilot aboard and seriously injured another while scattering wreckage in Southern California's Mojave Desert. (AP Photo/Kenneth Brown)
A protester raises his umbrellas in front of tear gas which was fired by riot police to disperse protesters blocking the main street to the Central district outside the government headquarters in Hong Kong, on September 28, 2014. Hong Kong police used tear gas to disperse pro-democracy protests and baton-charged the crowd blocking a key road in the government district after Hong Kong and Chinese officials warned against illegal demonstrations. Protesters were, and still are, calling for open elections and the resignation of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. (Reuters/Tyrone Siu) # 
Police forces march toward pro-democracy protesters holding umbrellas during a standoff outside the central government offices in Hong Kong on October 14, 2014. (Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images)
People walk through an empty tunnel on the main road in the occupied areas in Central, Hong Kong Thursday, October 9, 2014. Talks between the Hong Kong government and student leaders of a democracy protest that has blocked main roads in the Asian financial hub for nearly two weeks were canceled because they were unlikely to be constructive, a senior government official said. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Police officers gather near a pro-democracy protest in the Central district of Hong Kong on October 13, 2014. (Alex Ogle/AFP/Getty Images)
The far side of the Moon, with Earth in the background, imaged by China's lunar test probe Chang'e 5-TI, as it looped around the Moon on October 28, 2014. (CNSA)
Demonstrators march to protest the disappearance of 43 students from the Isidro Burgos rural teachers college, in Mexico City, on October 22, 2014. Tens of thousands marched in Mexico City's main avenue demanding the return of the missing students. The Mexican government says it still does not know what happened to the young people after they were rounded up by local police in Iguala, a town in southern Mexico, and allegedly handed over to gunmen from a drug cartel on September 26, even though authorities have arrested 50 people allegedly involved, including police officers and alleged members of the Guerreros Unidos cartel. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) 
Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers is applauded in the House of Commons in Ottawa on October 23, 2014. Vickers was credited with shooting an armed suspect during a shooting incident October 22, in which the gunman killed a soldier and ran through Parliament shooting before being shot dead himself. (Reuters/Chris Wattie) 
A picture of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is displayed on a damaged structure at the entrance of al-Dukhaneya neighborhood near Damascus, as civilians carry their belongings recovered from their homes after soldiers loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad regained control of the area from rebel fighters on October 7, 2014. (Reuters/Omar Sanadiki) 
A cradle left behind by Syrian Kurdish refugees fleeing ISIS attacks lies at the Turkish-Syrian border near Suruc, in this September 27, 2014 photo. Photographer Murad Sezer: "A crossing point along the Turkish-Syrian border frontier was normally a hive of activity, with wailing children and families desperately trying to carry whatever they could manage across the dusty terrain. To my surprise on this particular day, the refugee collection didn't start. Bewildered, I started to look around me. My eyes fell on an empty baby's cradle and I thought: 'How is it possible for someone to leave behind such a basic, but important, thing for a baby? Were the owners in a hurry? Was there no space in the bus or truck?' As I photographed the cradle I thought how lonely and sad it seemed. For me, it signified a kind of hopelessness. If its owners had felt hope, perhaps they would not have left it. I took four images using a 24mm wide-angle lens and photographed the deserted border area in the background aiming to illustrate the desperation the refugees feel, and the harshness of the environment, where baking sun can turn to driving rain in an instant". (Reuters/Murad Sezer) 
Feifei, 21, undergoes breast implant surgery at a hospital in Hefei, Anhui province, China. Feifei, who is a third-year university student and a part-time model, received free breast implant surgery which costs about 300,000 yuan ($48,881), in return for advertising for the hospital. Around 10 days after the operation, she won a prize at a local beauty contest, reported local media. (Reuters/Stringer) 
Russian Interior Ministry members stand guard as Muslims attend an Eid al-Adha mass prayer in Moscow on October 4, 2014. (Reuters/Sergei Karpukhin)
An Israeli woman (center) and a Palestinian woman gesture at one another during a protest by Palestinian women against Jewish visitors to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City in this October 14, 2014 photo. Photographer Finbarr O'Reilly: "The Palestinian women were singing and chanting in Arabic while heavily armed Israeli border police looked on and occasionally pushed them back to make way for Jewish worshipers going to the Western Wall. The Palestinian women shouted and harassed Jewish passersby while Orthodox Jews living in apartments above the street threw bottles and water down at the Palestinian women. About half a dozen Orthodox Jewish worshipers wanted to pass along the narrow street toward the Western Wall and the Israeli border police created a passageway through the crowd of Palestinian women. As the Israelis walked between the shouting protesters I focused on the woman in the center of the scene. When she was right in front of me, she turned and gestured to the Palestinian woman. It wasn't something done for the camera - I don't think she even realized I was there. It was only when I looked at the picture afterward that I realized that the Palestinian woman had returned the gesture, which in this part of the world is the equivalent to giving someone the middle finger". (Reuters/Finbarr O'Reilly)
Jefferson Ruck (left) and his partner Thomas Topovski, both of Nevada, hug after getting their marriage license at the Clark County Marriage Bureau on October 9, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The county began issuing licenses to same-sex couples after a conservative group removed its opposition to the ruling on October 7 by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Nevada and Idaho's ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional. Same-sex marriage proponents made huge legal and legislative strides in 2014, with same-sex marriage now legal in 35 of the 50 states in the U.S. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
African migrants sit atop a border fence during an attempt to cross into Spanish territories, between Morocco and Spain's north African enclave of Melilla, as golfers play on a course in the foreground, on October 22, 2014. Around 400 migrants attempted to cross the border into Spain. (Reuters/Jose Palazon)
An Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft aboard, as it suffered a catastrophic anomaly moments after launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A on October 28, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The Cygnus spacecraft was filled with about 5,000 pounds of supplies slated for the International Space Station, including science experiments, experiment hardware, spare parts, and crew provisions. (AP Photo/NASA, Joel Kowsky) 
Zheng Feng, an amateur climber takes wedding pictures with his bride on a cliff in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, October 26, 2014. (Reuters/China Daily) 
Anti-government protesters take over the parliament building in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on October 30, 2014. Widespread protests against President Blaise Compaore and plans to amend the constitution to extend his 27 years in office led to takeovers of government facilities in the capital. Compaore soon resigned, as the military dissolved the existing government, and took control until a promised 2015 election. (Reuters/Joe Penney)
ISIS militants are caught on the edge of an air strike explosion on Tilsehir hill near Kobane, Syria, on October 23, 2014. Through the latter half of the year, ISIS militants fought to gain control of the northern Syrian town of Kobane, opposed by locals and Kurdish fighters on the ground and by a U.S.-led coalition providing airstrikes from above. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
A voter gestures as Senate Minority Leader U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell votes in the midterm elections at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4, 2014. The overall result of the election was a resounding win for the Republican Party. Republicans will gain control of the Senate next year, and will increase their existing majority in the House of Representatives. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)
Storm clouds and snow blows off Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, on November 18, 2014, bringing 6-10 feet of snow to some areas. (Reuters/Lindsay DeDario)
A bull with flammable balls of tar attached to its horns during the "Toro de Jubilo" fire bull festival on November 16, 2014 in Medinaceli, Spain. Toro de Jubilo, a Fire Bull festival, is an ancient tradition held annually at midnight in the Spanish town of Medinaceli. The event starts when flammable balls attached to a bull's horns are set alight. The animal is then untied and revelers dodge it until the flammable material is consumed. The bull is covered with a thick layer of mud on the back and face to protect it from burns. (Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images) 
Odell Beckham of the New York Giants makes a remarkable one-handed (three-fingered), over-the-head-while-falling-backward catch, scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on November 23, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Navy divers, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, Mobile Dive and Salvage Company 11-7, attach a towing bridle to the Orion Crew Module during the first Exploration Flight Test of the NASA Orion Program following its launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex on December 5, 2014 in the Pacific Ocean, 600 miles southwest of San Diego. The Orion spacecraft orbited Earth twice, reaching an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above Earth before landing. The amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage transported the module safely to shore. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
A Ferguson firefighter surveys rubble at a strip mall that was set on fire when rioting erupted following the grand jury announcement in the Michael Brown case on November 25, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. At least 12 buildings were torched and more than 50 people were arrested during the night-long rioting. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)