The beer is flowing and carnival rides running again at this year’s 179th Oktoberfest in Munich. Known as the world's largest beer festival, the event dates to 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig was married to Princess Therese and the people of Munich were invited to attend the festivities. More than 6 million people are expected to attend this year’s festival, which runs until Oct. 7. -- NOTE: We're going to be asking some viewers of The Big Picture to answer one or two anonymous survey questions before viewing the full post or you can choose to send a tweet or Facebook post instead. ( 31 photos total)

North Korea remains a mystery to most of the West, but through small glimpses into the daily life of North Koreans, more and more is revealed about this mysterious country. Associated Press photographers David Guttenfelder and Vincent Yu have been fortunate to have unprecedented access to some areas in Pyongyang, the country's largest city by both land area and population. Through their images, we learn just a little bit more about what it's like to live in one of the world's most militarized and isolated countries. -- Paula Nelson ( 50 photos total)

Next Monday China celebrates National Day as the country prepares for a political transition, one that will see the new leaders taking the helm of perhaps the world's most dynamic society. It seems an opportune time to look at life in 中国, the Middle Kingdom. Change and progress have come at a dizzying pace in the last couple of decades, making the People's Republic of China politically, culturally, economically, and militarily a power player on the world stage. Many issues challenge the incoming government. A territorial dispute with Japan over some islands off Taiwan is opening old wounds from WWII. A corruption and murder scandal involving a high ranking official comes at an embarrassing time. And the country's juggernaut economy finds itself in the 11th straight month of stagnation. But at the same time, an increasingly colorful society celebrates the continued vibrant awakening transforming the largest population in the world. Gathered here are images providing a glimpse of life from many parts of the country, including Hong Kong - which has now been under mainland control for 15 years. -- Lane Turner (44 photos total)

The crises in and around Mali are shaped by an intersection of trends: food insecurity and desertification linked to climate change; an incomplete transition to democracy and a growing population of young people with poor employment prospects. With its government debilitated by a coup, the Malian political system is unable to maintain its reach into the north where militant, foreign-sponsored radical Islamist are in control. In addition, the region is in the grip of a major food crisis. Mali matters for two reasons. First, the country is not the isolated place of myth that the Timbuktu legend implies. Its political crisis is a threat to stability in the region. Second, instability combined with the food crisis have together had acute humanitarian consequences. Aid agencies are struggling to meet basic needs. Mali's industries of gold and cotton are doing comparatively well, mainly because they're located in the south where things are relatively calm. Mali needs to fund its transition back to civilian rule through elections and retake the northern desert. Stability in Mali, as the third biggest producer in Africa, is important for the global gold market; the gold miners operating in the country; and to a lesser extent, the cotton market. -- Paula Nelson ( 37 photos total)

Large or small, these music festivals brought musicians and fans together from around the world in celebration of sound. Collected here are scenes from some of those music festivals held over the past few months. -- Lloyd Young ( 42 photos total)

Protests throughout the world continue to rage a week after they began over a crudely-produced video that mocks Islam. The internet video, produced in the United States, led to anti-American demonstrations in dozens of countries. As many as 17 people have died in the violence. American warships stood by off Libya after the US ambassador there was killed in a possibly-related attack. The embassies, consulates, and commercial interests of other western nations have been attacked during the protests. -- Lane Turner (30 photos total)

Pigeons were once briefly used to carry stock market price reports between Paris and Berlin in the early beginnings of the Reuters news agency. Now, with a world connected by fiber optics and satellite beams, aficionados still train, keep and race pigeons for sport. The membership of Britain's Royal Pigeon Racing Associated is declining, but tens of thousands remain. This year, the 40th annual British Homing World Show of the Year, held in Blackpool, had 2,500 pigeon entries from around the world. -- Paula Nelson ( 27 photos total)

Americans marked the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks around the country with remembrances this week. President Obama attended ceremonies at the Pentagon, Vice President Joe Biden spoke in Shanksville, Pa., and the names of victims were read by relatives during a memorial service at the World Trade Center in New York. The attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, were the deadliest terrorist strike on American soil. - Lloyd Young ( 44 photos total)

Harvest is a time of plenty, when the season's hard work is rewarded by bounty. Many of the rhythms of our lives are shaped by the gathering of crops, even if most of us now live in cities. Worldwide, festivals and rituals mark the passage from growing season to harvest, with indigenous and popular practices making fall in the Northern Hemisphere a festive time. This year sees a reduced harvest in much of the world as extreme weather decimated many regions. Half of the United States is in prolonged drought, as well as much of Europe. In India, the monsoon is 20 percent off the annual average. Food prices are expected to rise by 2013 as demand taxes supplies, and later the price rises will transfer to the meat industry as costs of feed for livestock are passed on. Gathered here are images of farms industrial and traditional, crops critical and obscure, and harvest festivals among drought and bounty. -- Lane Turner (41 photos total)

La Tomatina is a festival that is held in the Valencian town of Bunol, located inland from the Mediterranean Sea, that brings together thousands of people for one big tomato fight – purely for fun! It is held on the last Wednesday of August, during the week of festivities of Bunol. One theory – the most popular of many theories - about the origins of the “fight” dates back to 1945, when (during a parade) young men staged a brawl in the town’s main square, the Plaza del Pueblo. There was a vegetable stand nearby, so they picked up tomatoes and used them as weapons. The police had to intervene to break up the fight and forced those responsible to pay the damages incurred. -- Paula Nelson (26 photos total)

Competing at many of the same London venues as participants in the summer Olympics, more than 4,000 athletes from 164 nations are taking part in the Paralympic Games. The athletes compete in 20 sports that have various classifications, depending on an athlete’s level of impairment. The Games conclude Sept. 9. -- Lloyd Young (40 photos total)