In review: 2013
Posted on Wednesday, 3 September, 2008 | 
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Columnist: Unexplained Mysteries
As the year 2012 approaches many people await it with a certain degree of trepidation. Some believe it will hail a new age of enlightenment for mankind, some that it will signify the beginning of the end of the world and some that the date actually holds no special significance at all. So what can we expect to happen in 2012 ? In her new book '2013: Envisioning the world after the events of 2012", Marie D. Jones explores the possibilities.
This book is somewhat different to a lot of similar books out there in that it doesn't serve as an exercise in fear mongering about an apocalyptic future that nobody can escape, what it does do for the most part is take a realistic look using known political, medical, technological and environmental factors at what the world might be like in the coming years. While many of these scenarios don't specifically relate to the year 2012 the author does focus on that date throughout the book and covers its significance both historically and in the present, including when and by whom it was determined.
Early in the book the author introduces us to the 2012 concept and looks at where it originated. Interpretations of the apocalypse and the religious and metaphysical aspects of the phenomenon are also explored here. Following this she moves on to the first of several chapters detailing possible scenarios for the future and what could happen as 2012 approaches and beyond.
Global warming, the melting of the ice caps and the consequences for mankind of these and other environmental issues are covered, as are undersea methane releases, solar radiation from space, super volcanoes and asteroid impacts. Subsequent chapters cover future concerns over everything from overpopulation, water shortages, running out of natural resources, animal extinctions and diseases to political factors such as global power shifts and terrorism.
Also mentioned are a lot of the advantages the future may bring in technology and medicine. Covered are possible new treatments for cancer, aids and other incurable diseases as well as bionics, computer technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology and space flight. It's a nice change to read a book where the positives are also included.
'2013' is a book that should appeal to anyone curious about the 2012 phenomenon and about the future, it covers a wide range of possibilities and paints a picture of a future in which anything could happen, good or bad. What will actually transpire as the calendar changes to 2012 however, if anything, is a mystery that we will have to wait another few years to find out.
Article Copyright© Unexplained Mysteries - reproduced with permission.
Columnist: Unexplained Mysteries
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