Eminent 95-year-old Autralian scientist Professor Frank Fenner believes that the clock of doom is ticking for humanity. This was the man who, in the 1950s infected rabbit populations with myxomatosis virus,  control their numbers, and he thinks he is NOT scare-mongering.

Fenner announced, in 1980  to the World Health Assembly that smallpox had finally been eradicted totally, seen by many as the crowning achievement of the World Health Organization, so his credentials are good, and this well-respected microbiologist has given a very pessimistic view of the future.

He is certain that the human race will die out, whatever humanity does to try making amends for the terrible swathe of destruction our species has inflicted on our home planet, fearing that whatever we do now is too late. Global warming is too far gone, and the earth is in the middle of the sixth great mass extinction event, a situation the professor sees as irreversible.

He believes such efforts to be futile, despite major efforts being made to deal with an ever-increasing world and the very real threats of both food and water shortages. Our fate is sealed, he thinks, with world population forecast to hit 7 billion next year,squeezing limited resources ever more tightly.

There is little doubt that the basic survival instinct will force, in due course, warlike humans to do savage battle over both food and water, wars in the coming decades an absolute certainty, as nations fight over ever more scarce supplies. With global droughts continuing to ravage farmland, malnutrition and poverty are becoming more common, and at some point, the breaking point will be reached.

In his opinion, humanity has already passed the point of no return where climate change is concerned, and despite having the scientific ability to tackle global problems, lack the political will to take meaningful affirmative action. There is no doubt whatever that something will have to give, in a major way, but the complete extinction of the human race seems a far-fetched notion, to say the least

These warnings, all the same, do have merit, and a century from now this world will have changed a great deal, but technological advances will always keep humanity one step ahead.  It does seem quite likely that we might see something akin to a collapse of civilization, due possibly to rapid population decline caused by some as yet unknown pandemic, but the loss of every last human on earth is such an unlikely possibility that it hardly bears considering. Whatever the catastrophe that befell our species, evolution would dictate that  a small number of survivors would still be able to eke out an existence in sheltered areas.

 That a so-called perfect storm of catastrophes could occur, leading to a world-wide mass extinction is not impossible, but humans would adapt quickly, using technology to support life in a hostile new world, if it turned out to be so, but this is as speculative as the gloomy forecast of the professor.

Living on a planet that is getting hotter, with an expanding population and resources running out is the stark reality of the present, the future still obviously a great unknown. We cannot continue to abuse resources at the current rate without being aware of the fact that optimism about the future of the human race may indeed be misplaced.

>1) New York City has 11 letters
>
>2) Afghanistan has 11 letters.
>
>3) Ramsin Yuseb (The terrorist who threatened to destroy the Twin
>Towers in 1993) has 11 letters.
>
>4) George W Bush has 11 letters.
>
>This could be a mere coincidence, but this gets more interesting:
>
>1) New York is the 11th state.
>
>2) The first plane crashing against the Twin Towers was flight 
>number
>11.
>
>3) Flight 11 was carrying 92 passengers. 9 + 2 = 11
>
>4) Flight 77 which also hit Twin Towers, was carrying 65 passengers.
>6+5 = 11
>
>5) The tragedy was on September 11, or 9/11 as it is now known. 9 + 
>1+ 1 = 11
>
>6) The date is equal to the US emergency services telephone number
>911. 9 + 1 + 1 = 11.
>
>Sheer coincidence..?! Read on and make up your own mind:
>
>1) The total number of victims inside all the hi-jacked planes was
>254. 2 + 5 + 4 = 11.
>
>2) September 11 is day number 254 of the calendar year. Again 2 + 5 
>+ 4
>= 11.
>
>3) The Madrid bombing took place on 3/11/2004. 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 
>11.
>
>4) The tragedy of Madrid happened 911 days after the Twin Towers
>incident.
>
>Now this is where things get totally eerie:
>
>The most recognized symbol for the US, after the Stars & Stripes, is
>the Eagle. The following verse is taken from the Quran, the Islamic
>holy book:
>
>”For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome 
>Eagle.
>The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah 
>and lo,
>while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced: 
>for
>the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah and there was
>peace.”
>
>That verse is number 9.11 of the Quran.
>
>Still uncovinced about all of this..?! Try this and see how you feel
>afterwards, it made my hair stand on end:
>
>Open Microsoft Word and do the following:
>
>1. Type in capitals Q33 NY. This is the flight number of the first
>plane to hit one of the Twin Towers.
>
>2. Highlight the Q33 NY.
>
>3. Change the font size to 48.
>
>4. Change the actual font to the WINGDINGS

I don’t really know what to think about this. I have since done a little research and there seems to be other of these kinds of things floating around the internet. There was even one about being that Bush was the Antichrist. Now I found that kinda interesting.. If you guys are interested in that I can post some links. Makes for some very interesting reads.

At last we have arrived in the year 2012, and the well advertised year of “the end of the world” according to some and perhaps even the ancient Mayan Indians.  With all the hoopla in the mainstream media, particularly the cinema, it seems that half of the public believes the Mayan calendar prophecy and the other half do not.  No one will ever know the truth until it happens.

Talking about the Mayan calendar is nowadays a bit redundant making it almost a lost memory.  However, there are still a number of changes occurring in our world that we should consider in light of the Mayan prophecy of the world undergoing major changes this December 21, 2012.  We all know that change is inevitable in any scenario we may imagine.  The only question is what kind of changes will occur, and when.

Let us look at some of the changes that have been occurring in the past decade and more recent days.  Since the year 2000 the global temperatures have been increasingly warmer and warmer.  This past year the global average temperature went on record as being the ninth warmest putting it into the list of the 10 hottest years on record.  These increases have been attributed to increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide for one. The year 2011 had record-breaking weather extremes with associated disasters not only in the United States but across the world.

Repeated statements of less solar activity have made it into the press the last two or three years.  And still, the strongest solar storm seen since the year 2005 erupted this past January 22.  The storm sent charged particles toward the Earth’s atmosphere at a rate of over 14,000 miles per second.  Although threatening to disrupt world satellite communications and possibly knock out power grids, we were lucky to experience only beautiful aurora lights and diversions of some jet aircraft from their normal routes.

One of the most recent changes was that of a genetic mutation.  A park in England’s East Midlands has been the site of increased birdwatching as people seek to see an unusual blackbird.  This blackbird is unusual because it is entirely white.  Officials and park managers are asking the public to keep a close eye out for this bird in the hopes it will return in the spring.  Such a bird would be easy prey to predators because of its bright plumage.

These are just a very few of the changes that have occurred in recent times.  They are examples of what might be happening and perhaps a part of the changes prophesised by the ancient Mayan Indians.  Then again, maybe not.  Why not keep an open mind just in case the prophecy becomes a reality.  This is the year, 2012, when the Mayan calendar ends as a new era begins.

David Choe, 35, painted graffiti on the walls the first HQ facebook had seven years ago, the work liable to net him a cool £125 million payout today, because he chose not to be in cash for his work.  Though today a a successful artist in his own right, David will not be drawn on the issue of that fateful choice.

Born in Los Angeles in 1976 to Korean immigrant parents, Choe was introduced to graffiti as a way to channel his teenage anger through spraying graffiti where he could, having begun drawing at an early age.

As years passed much of his energy went into studying at the California College of Arts and Crafts, undergoing official art training. He was, all the same, still a troubled teenager, spending jail-time for doing graffiti in Oakland, and for punching an undercover security guard.

Having picked up a taste for comics, he began seriously doing graffiti art at the turn of the century, and, when asked, in 2005, to paint the Palo Alto, California walls of facebook offices, elected to be paid in shares. He never thought facebook had a future, believe it or not, but still took the shares option.

Now it seems that this move, which saw him essentially paid for a series of spray-painted wall decorations could easily net him,  after a blockbuster $5billion Facebook stock exchange, around $200million, making his work the most expensive of its kind ever.

As the flotation moves ever closer, David is one of at least 1,000 employees on their way to becoming millionaires, though much more pleasing to him will be the fact that he is liable to beat the 2008 record set by Damien Hirst, when the 200 items comprising his show – Beautiful Inside My Head Forever – for a total of $198million.

David recently did cover art for 2004 music album Collision Course  by Jay-Z and Linkin Park, created a President Barack Obama poster of for the White House, and recently went to the new Facebook headquarters to spray-paint yet another wall, though all of these things now seem small beer to everyone except the artist himself, who must have had some feeling back then, which looks set to pay off today n a truly massive way.

In December 1900, just prior to the start of the 20th century, John Elfreth Watkins published these predictions entitled What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years, in the US women’s magazine Ladies Home Journal.  Mr Watkins was a regular writer for an off spin of this journal and, by all accounts he had used his own professional knowledge as well as undertaking more in-depth research.

He started his article with the words, “these prophecies will seem strange, almost impossible” but he was obviously well ahead of his time as at least 10 of his prophecies have come true.

One of the predictions was digital colour photography.  Obviously he couldn’t predict how computers, modern cameras etc would work but he stated that “photographs will be telegraphed from any distance”.  He further went on to state that snapshots would be able to be published an hour later and that photographs will reproduce “all of nature’s colours”. 

At the time he made this prediction, cameras and photography themselves were in their infancy and it must have been mind boggling to think that colour photographs could be reproduced, so I can’t imagine how awe inspiring it would be to think that, during the lifetime of the readers great great grandchildren, these colour photographs would find their way around the world within hours!

Another of his predictions was rather more personal and not technologically based.  He stated that Americans would be taller by 1″ to 2″.  Apparently, back in 1900 the average American male was about 5′5″ to 5′6″ (around 1.7m) but by 2000 this had increased to 5′7″ to 5′8″ (around 1.75m).

The next prediction Mr Watkins got right was the invention of the mobile (cell) phone.  He stipulated that “wireless telephone and telegraph circuits will span the world” and that “a husband in the middle of the Atlantic will be able to converse with his wife sitting in her boudoir in Chicago.  We will be able to telephone China as readily as we now talk from New York to Brooklyn”.

Once again, the telephone was a new invention, very few people had been able to afford to have one installed and it would be a further 15 years before the first call was made from one side of the US to the other so the idea of wireless calls offshore and from one country to another must have seemed like madness!

He predicted that pre-cooked meals would be delivered to your door!  In Mr Watkins words “ready-cooked meals will be bought from establishments similar to our bakeries of today”.  This could of course mean that you could just walk into a food shop and take away a meal – much like our pizza/Chinese takeaways, although it seems that Mr Watkins did actually expect the food to be delivered to your door on plates and then these would be returned to the “establishment” to be washed.  In essence, he has got our takeaway delivery system bang to rights.  How many of us order in a pizza, Chinese, or Indian takeaway?  And over here in the UK even fish & chip shops are now joining the fray – we often get our haddock or plaice and chips with mushy peas, onion rings and curry sauce delivered via a local shop just by placing an order online!

Another prediction which was spot on was that “winter will be turned to summer and night into day by the farmer, with electric wires under the soil and large gardens under glass”.

Obviously large glass houses were already in existence in 1900 but the use of electricity to provide out of season fruit and veg was something new.  Thanks to electrically heated glass houses we’re now able to enjoy fruit and veg out of season with no major ecological problems as they no longer have to be flown swiftly from one country to another to ensure their freshness.  Unfortunately though the electric wires under the soil doesn’t yet seem to have caught on although I suspect there are some farmers or horticulturalists out there who have rigged up such a system.

Another of Watkins predictions was for TV.  I know there had been quite a few predictions going around since time immemorial relating to this phenomenon but this prediction was spookily close to what we know about the workings of the TV today!  Watkins stated that “man will see around the world.  Persons and things of all kinds will be brought within focus of cameras connected electrically with screens at opposite ends of circuits thousands of miles at a span”.  That’s one of the closest definitions I’ve seen as to the development of the old goggle box!

We’ve all heard about Leonardo da Vinci’s so-called prediction regarding military tanks but Watkins prediction has advanced on that.  He states that “huge forts on wheels will dash across open spaces at the speed of express trains of today [1900]“.

One of the predictions that I wouldn’t even have considered was that fruit would be larger.  He considered that strawberries as large as apples would exist in the 21st century.  Admittedly the strawberries we have here aren’t quite as big as apples, but I do find that they’re much larger than they were when I was a child and, over the century, a lot of research has been put into making fruit and veg larger.  Unfortunately, it seems that a lot of the flavour has now gone out of the newer varieties compared to the smaller ones.  It also seems that today we have an obsession for perfectly shaped fruit and veg!  What’s wrong with a knobbly turnip or a bent banana?  Bearing in mind we seem to have a lot of starving people in the world, I cannot see the logic in just casting nature’s misshapes aside.  I grow veg in my garden and I haven’t been poisoned yet by eating a runner bean that’s a bit curly or a potato that’s not entirely ovoid but has a few lumps, bumps and warts on it!  Nor do I subscribe to our “super chefs” over here casting the skin and seeds of tomatoes to one side.

Another prediction was uncannily true.  He basically envisioned  “the Acela Express” (which runs between Boston and Washington).  Watkins stated that by the 21st century trains would run two miles to the minute normally and express trains one hundred and fifty miles an hour.  The Acela Express can reach speeds of up to 150 miles an hour. 

And over here in the UK we’ve possibly got the HS2 speed train on the horizon once the government can convince the populace it’s a good thing.  Unfortunately the route for this train will take a huge chunk out of our beautiful landscape and is going to cost god knows how many million pounds to actually get up and running.  As you can imagine, it’s going down here like a lead balloon!  Firstly because of the environmental disturbance, secondly because of its noise and upset to local inhabitants and thirdly the amount of tax payers’ money which is going to be wasted when so many people in the UK are struggling to make ends meet due to the recession.  I can see the logic for such a train in a large country like the US but I’m sure it can’t be necessary on a little island like the UK!

I understand from the BBC website that Watkins also foresaw the invention of central heating and air conditioning, cheap cars; average life expectancy to rise to 50 (although I’m sure his calculations are a little on the low side there! – nonetheless life expectancy has of course increased); free university education; and refrigerating food for transportation.

However, like most people who make predictions, Watkins obviously made a couple of cock ups!  He considered that the letters C, X and Q would no longer be necessary  in our alphabet.  I just hope that no-one takes up the challenge of bringing this about as I’d be well and truly stuffed as a work from home typist!!!

Another most definite boo-boo was that everybody would be walking 10 miles a day.  I suspect Watkins would be horrified to learn that most of us can’t even manage to walk one mile a day let alone 10!  This is in evidence in our small village.  Young mums who could walk to the local schools in less than five minutes actually get their cars out to deliver their kids!  My partner and I enjoy walking out in the country and often go for a 30-40 minute walk to pick up a loaf of bread and a few lighter food items from our local village shop, but again, most of our younger mums will take the car out rather than put feet to tarmac!

Watkins also thought that there would be no more cars in large cities.  To some degree, he would have been correct if he’d applied this theory to the UK as we are now discouraged to take vehicles into the city. 

Car parks are prohibitively expensive in our multi storey parks and spaces in our open air, ground level car parks are slowly being reduced.  Instead, we have Park and Ride bus systems set up on the outskirts of cities.  We drive the car to the huge Park and Ride car parks which, in our area, are interspersed with wonderful landscape gardens to encourage wildlife.  We then buy a very inexpensive bus ticket.  We have three options; one for a single person, one for a couple and one for a family.  These buses run very regularly so you don’t need to stand … you just wait for the next bus to come along.  The buses stick to bus lanes and don’t stop for pick ups between the Park and Ride and the city centre so it’s quick, efficient, comfortable and cheap now to get from A to B!

The other prediction which sounds wonderful but most certainly hasn’t manifested itself is that, by the 21st century mosquitoes, house flies and cockroaches would have been exterminated.  I suspect a lot of us would be glad to see the back of these bugs but, when I considered the wider impact, I came to the conclusion it would NOT be a good idea.  We all know that humans are keen to eradicate the nasty parts of life and nurture the nicer things, but in reality, if we eradicated these insects, in all likelihood it would have a knock on effect on wildlife in general.  I’m strongly of the opinion that humans have dabbled too much with nature over the years and it’s been seriously damaging to our environment and ultimately this will affect humans too!  We may think ourselves more intelligent than our animal friends, but sometimes I do wonder – animals get on with what they’re designed to do but we seem to feel it’s our right to hatch, match and despatch our fellow earth creatures as if we’re gods!

So here you have it – not only have I given you some 100 year old predictions which have come true but I’ve also had the opportunity to vent my spleen!!  Two articles for the price of one!!!

In the core of that theory is the fact of a Mayan Calendar that ended right in the end of 2012 but also the fact that the Mayan civilization is known as experts in mathematics and predict astronomical events.
The fact is Calendars exist for keeping track of the passage of time and this happened for Mayan civilization as well.
The Mayan astronomers were clever, and developed a very complex calendar based on astronomical cycles. Therefore, the ending of the Mayan calendar means that 2012 marks the end of a cycle. The beginning of 2013 will mark a new solar cycle.
The main point to be covered here is that Mayan calendar ended to mark the end of the Mayan long-count period. Just like our calendars end on the 31st of December, every year. It doesn’t means the world will end, it just means we will start a new cycle; which in our case is a new 365 days year.

Nevertheless, all the bus about this calendar is also related with all doomsday theories such as Planet alignment, Solar Storms, Meteor collision, all of them associated with the doomsday theory, planed to happen on the 21st of December of 2012

But where did this name came from?
Nibiru first appeared in Babylonian astrology associated with the god Marduk. It also appears in the Babylonian creation poem Enuma Elish. The claims that Nibiru is a planet and was known to the Sumerians are contradicted by many Astronomers that claim that although Sumer was a great civilization, important for the development of things such agriculture, water management or writing, their skill was poor in astronomy. In fact, they did not had understanding about the planets that the Sun. This knowledge was only developed in ancient Greece two millennia after the end of Sumer.

I’m sure you will be inundated with doomsday prophecies. You can see it with your sense. Where is the evidence? There is none. There is no credible and fact evidence for any of the assertions made about events taking place in December 2012. In fact, you can see here how these prophecies have started.