MNN's week in review: Olympic venues and a beauty regimen for 2012
This week's best bets from Mother Nature Network.
Fri, Jan 06 2012 at 7:07 PM EST
• As London prepares to host the 2012 Olympic Games this summer, contracters are putting the finishing touches on the many stadiums that will be at the center of the action. Check out the venues where Olympic history will be made.
• Lifestyles blogger Starre Vartan takes the dawn of a new year seriously. She's sized up all her routines to see if an overhaul is in order, and these are her inspired beauty resolutions for 2012. (Hint: The sleeping beauty above has the right idea.)
• Next in line for Starre's scrutiny? Money. You may disagree with some of her choices, but you'll like the way she explains her financial choices. Now, are you ready to share your resolutions?
• The mission of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is rooted in poetry; the images created by that team are similarly inspired.
• Our four-legged friends may not say much, but they are worthy teachers. Pet expert Morieka Johnson shares lessons learned from the biggest animal stories of the year.
• From the Mayan calendar to the zombie apocalpyse, the new year begins with many portents of doom. But our tech blogger Chris Turner asks, what if the gloom is mostly in our heads? What might come if we embraced 2012 as a year of living optimistically?
• Our blogger Russell McLendon digs into why the FDA is sending mixed signals on superbugs. The agency unveiled new limits this week on one class of livestock antibiotics, two weeks after scrapping a 34-year push to limit two others. All three can promote drug-resistant bacteria.
• 2012 is the year of more choices for consumers who want to buy an electric vehicle. Here are seven electric cars to watch. And this feels like an appropriate moment to share our auto blogger's wish for the new year: An affordable, green car.
• America's collective waistline has been growing steadily since the 1960s. This we all know. What might come as a surprise is that our weight increase has happened at the same time automakers have been bending over backwards to decrease the weight of their cars. The result, points out Jim Motavalli, is a no-win situation in terms of fuel economy.
• And finally, let's go on a virtual green tour of Baltimore. Sure, this town (also known as "Charm City") has a gritty reputation, but that's just one aspect of this city's story.
Plus: Don't miss the week in photos, including a bigger version of the Puget Sound Plunge (below) and a spectacular photo of New Year's celebrations at Big Ben. (We didn't want to reduce the wow factor by including it here so go see for yourself!)
