After cutting a destructive path through the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy caused extensive damage along the East Coast this week. Sandy made landfall in southern New Jersey and brought with it major flooding, travel disruption, structural damage, and power outages. New York City was especially hard hit. The storm system was so large ­-- nearly 1,000 miles wide at times -- it brought blizzard conditions to West Virginia and 20 foot waves to Lake Michigan. It is projected Sandy will have caused about $30 billion in damages in the United States. To date, the storm claimed more than 100 lives. -- Lloyd Young ( 57 photos total)

We keep them as pets, although which species maintains the upper paw in that relationship is sometimes in doubt. We drive them to the brink of extinction, and then make desperate attempts to bring them back. We tend them as livestock, display them in zoos, and research them in labs and in the wild. Our lives are intertwined with those of animals, and better for it. Gathered here are images of that furry interface. -- Lane Turner (36 photos total)

Eid al-Adha also called Feast of the Sacrifice, is an important 3-day religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honor the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail (Ishmael) a as an act of submission to God and his son's acceptance of the sacrifice, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead. The 3 days and 2 nights of Eid al-Adha are celebrated annually on the 10th, 11th and 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and last month of the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid begins today. -- Paula Nelson ( 32 photos total)

Inflated with hot air, water, gas, or human breath, balloons are sold as playthings, used for memorials and celebrations. They are admired during hot air balloon festivals, and just recently, one made international news: A helium-filled balloon took former Austrian paratrooper Felix Baumgartner some 24 miles above the earth to set the new world record for the highest skydive. He plummeted 128,100 feet on Oct. 14 at a top speed of 833.9 miles per hour, landing in over nine minutes. -- Lloyd Young( 41 photos total)

The Big Picture posted some of photographer Matt Black's images of the Mixteca in July of 2011. The pictures were part of an ongoing long-term documentary project on the region and its people. I included a link to Black's Kickstarter campaign, and Big Picture readers responded in force, helping fund another trip to the area. The pictures below are the result of that trip, and it seems only right to share them with the readers who helped make them possible. This time, Black focused on farmers dealing with the area's severe soil erosion. He writes, "Southern Mexico's Mixteca region is one of the most heavily eroded landscapes on earth: up to five meters of topsoil have been lost. In the town of Santiago Mitlatongo, soil loss triggered a geological phenomenon called "slumping." Like a slow-motion landslide, the town is sliding downhill at the rate of one meter per day, destroying homes and livelihoods as houses and farmland slip into the valley below." Interested readers can join Black in a web conference hosted by Orion Magazine tomorrow. -- Lane Turner (16 photos total)

It’s that time again…the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest is in full swing. The contest has reached his midpoint but there is plenty of time to enter before the November 30, 2012 deadline. Photographers of all skill levels - from professional to amateur - across the globe, submitted more than 20,000 entries from 130 countries in last year’s competition. The photographs are judged on creativity and photographic quality by a panel of experts in the field. There is a first place winner in each of three categories: People, Places and Nature, and a grand prizewinner as well. The following images are a sampling of the competition thus far – twelve images in each category. The caption information is provided and written by the individual photographer. – Paula Nelson ( 36 photos total)

Cambodians this week mourned King Norodom Sihanouk, who died in China while seeking medical treatment since January. The 89-year-old former monarch held many roles in government and was king on more than one occasion, starting in 1941. He gave up the throne to his son, Norodom Sihamoni, in 2004. Sihanouk led the country through its independence from France in 1953 and was connected to much turmoil in the country over the last 50 years. A crowd estimated at 200,000 lined the streets in Phnom Penh today to welcome home the body, which will lie in state for three months before being cremated according to Buddhist ritual. -- Lloyd Young ( 29 photos total)

Vancouver-based Reuters photographer Andy Clark has a long history with motorsport, starting with days he spent as a teenager on darkened summer highways north of Toronto in the late 1960s, riding in muscle cars and drag racing until the wee hours of the morning or until the cops chased him away. With his passion for the sport, Andy has spent his Saturday nights photographing at the Agassiz Speedway. Built in 1970, the speedway is a quarter mile oval track nestled into the side of Agassiz Mountain about 90 minutes east of Vancouver. The track hosts about 12 races a season beginning in April, running to late October. – Paula Nelson ( 23 photos total)

The arrival of autumn brings falling leaves; vibrant and rich jewel-toned colors across the landscape; a distinct change in temperature; festivals and some celebrations. The world often marks the September event as special. Throughout history, the first day of autumn has been considered a good time to take stock of the year’s successes and failures. A myth in many cultures holds that some mystical forces let us stand eggs on their ends for a short time immediately before or after the exact time of the equinox. In Greek mythology, autumn begins when the goddess Persephone returns to the underworld to live with her kidnapper, Hades – in repayment of the six pomegranate seeds she illicitly ate. Here, a look at a diverse collection of autumn photographs. – Paula Nelson ( 65 photos total)

They happen as mass ceremonies or from the back of a van all over the world in many different traditions. In the United States alone more than 2 million weddings take place a year at a average cost of $30,000, according to the Bridal Association of America. Here's a look at some brides and grooms and the events surrounding their big day. -- Lloyd Young ( 45 photos total)

We tend to look at Afghanistan through the lens of conflict, with good reason. Deaths of American forces recently reached 2000 in the 11 years since US involvement in the country began. Afghan forces have suffered perhaps 10,000 losses, and even conservative estimates suggest as many as 20,000 Afghan civilians have perished. It's a heavy toll for one of the most impoverished populations on Earth. While acknowledging those human losses, it's important also to celebrate the lives of those carrying on in the face of bitter warfare and economic hardship. Although no facet of Afghan life remains untouched by conflict, gathered here are images made in September of ordinary Afghans getting on with the business of life. -- Lane Turner (27 photos total)

For this edition of our look at daily life we share images from Nepal, Venezuela, Spain, United Kingdom, Russia, India, Colombia and a few others from around the world. -- Lloyd Young ( 40 photos total)

As Typhoon Jelawat slams into the main islands of Japan today, the tropical cyclone season passes its peak. Tropical cyclones begin as low pressure builds beneath a storm over warm ocean water. Known as Hurricanes in the west, and typhoons in Asia, they grow as they move, sucking more warm air into the low pressure of the center. What results is a fierce giant capable of unleashing nature's full fury, with sustained winds of at least 74 mph for category 1 storms. While only one major Hurricane, Isaac, struck the US this season so far, several powerful storms have ravaged Asia, with the east coast of China absorbing blows from three typhoons in one week. Gathered here are images of storms from the current cyclone season. -- Lane Turner (34 photos total)