Are we still here?: Looks like that Mayan Apocalypse thing was all hype, after all. Too bad -- your humble correspondent was looking forward to sleeping in this morning. For those of us who woke up in the Northeast, though, it sure sounds end-of-the-worldy out there: a winter storm that already pounded the Midwest and Plains states (“a reminder of what Midwest winters are about”) is serving up dicey weather from New England down through Washington, D.C. And we all know it’s a bad time of year to disrupt travel plans. Maybe that’s what the Mayans were getting at. NBC News
Here comes the sun: Canceled flights or not, here’s why the doom-and-gloom crowd got today so wrong: December 21 (a.k.a. the winter solstice) is actually a day to celebrate! Slate
Not so fast...: Wrong or not, you gotta forgive anyone who took a look at 2012 and started to think: “Maybe we’re not going to make it out.” It was the hottest year on record in the continental U.S., and devastating droughts, floods, and wildfires abounded ... not to mention that superstorm thing. Here’s a mashup of the worst the year had to offer. Climate Desk
Food fears: OnEarth contributing editor Barry Estabrook went on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show this week to discuss the massive failures of the Food and Drug Administration, which he chronicles in the cover story to our Winter 2013 issue. Hear him explain why we can’t trust the regulators in charge of keeping our food safe. OnEarth
Off limits: In the largest expansion of offshore marine sanctuaries in two decades, the Obama administration announced Thursday that it plans to expand a drilling ban along more than 50 miles of Northern California coast. Fish can’t say thanks, so let us do it for them. Los Angeles Times
Otterly great: In related good news, otters are being given the run of the California coastline, as the Fish and Wildlife Service lifts a policy that attempted to restrict their migration. One of the main reasons that otters hadn't been allowed to roam freely? Military paperwork. Really. New York Times
Nice looking planet you got there: Want some amazing end-of-the-year views of the place we all call home? Check out these stellar images of the earth from space in 2012. New Yorker
Programming note: Today OnEarth will be on holiday hiatus until January 2, but next week, we’ll bring you some of our favorite #greenreads of the year. See you in 2013!
Tips: @OnEarthMag (tag it #greenreads)
Image: Utah's Lake Powell, courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory
