Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association's executive vice president, speaks in response to the Connecticut school shootings, at a news conference in Washington on Friday. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

Visitors at the Chichen Itza archaeological park in Yucatan state, Mexico, celebrate the end of the Mayan calendar cycle. Even a failed apocalypse has value, in reminding us that life is fragile and unpredictable. Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Police officers detain a protester outside the lower house of Russia's parliament on Wednesday. This week, Russian legislators passed a bill banning Americans from adopting Russian children after the U.S. passed a law that rebukes Russia for human rights abuses. Evgeny Feldman/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Adolphe Bizwinayo left Rwanda as a refugee and says his new city, Dayton, Ohio, helped him transition to American life with initiatives like the Dayton World Soccer Games. Shawndra Jones for NPR hide caption

Retailers are finding that shoplifting at self-serve checkout lines is surprisingly common. Jessica Hill/AP hide caption

Marin Alsop conducted the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra in a beachfront concert Sunday for 20,000 people in Santos, Brazil. Desiree Furoni hide caption

Sculptures entered in the Great Salt Lick Contest await the judging and auction. Taki Telonidis hide caption

Dancer Fogo de Deus, who is part of the Os Kuduristas project of traveling kuduro artists. courtesy of Os Kuduristas hide caption