Education

This image taken by the Kepler telescope and released by NASA in 2009 shows small portion of Kepler's full field of view -- an expansive, 100-square-degree patch of sky in our Milky Way galaxy.

A combination picture shows different globes as a part of an installation in downtown Copenhagen December 6, 2009. Copenhagen is the host city for the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009, which lasts from December 7 until December 18.

The Afar Triple Junction: A region in Ethiopia where the three sections of the earth's crust meet and cause volcanoes.(Source: NASA)

mice are sorted according their size after being captured in a maize field near Lilongwe, Malawi. Cooked, salted or dried, field mice are strung on sticks and sold as a popular delicacy in Malawi in markets or at roadside stalls.

model dressed as the Virgin Mary poses during a performance in Santiago January. A prominent fashion designer has sparked outrage in Chile by dressing up models like the Virgin Mary -- in some cases with ample, near-naked breasts. The Roman Catholic Church condemned Ricardo Oyarzun's plans for a show featuring the models, and a conservative group tried unsuccessfully to block it in court.

We want to wish all our readers a happy, peaceful and prosperous 2009.