NDNFICTIDN

The Cnd of the

A& We Knew It?
Contemplating 2012
By Craig Nadler Illustrations by David Clegg
Editor's Note: The story you are about to read is
based solely on theory It is concerned with the possi-
bility of the end of the world. We in no way intend
to cause you alarm or incite panic by presenting the
following viewpoints. These theories are stranger
than fiction. No scientist has called them credible. But
should that stop you from considering these possibili-
ties? We reportyou decide' Read responsibly.
2012: Theory
Take out some paper and a pen. Write a list of all
the things you want to do in your lifetime. What
did you come up with? Did you write that you
want to travel to exotic places? encounter famous
celebrities? win a Nobel Peace Prize? Take an-
other look at that list. How many of those goals
can you accomplish in the next three years? Be-
cause that may be all the time you have left.
Many apocalypse theorists suggest that the
year 2012 will mark the end of the world. There
seems to be a global fascination with 2012 and
the impending doom (mwah-ha-ha!) it may bring
upon the human race ... and everything else.
Take, for example, the Mayan calendar. The
Mayas organized time into cycles with specific
start and end dates. The current cycle, which
began approximately 5,125 years ago, is set to
end in the year we refer to as 2012 {the Mayas
had a different number for it). The winter solstice
of that year, December 21, is when the Mayas
(for whatever reason) decided that the current
cycle would end.
For an ancient society, the Mayas had a highly
developed culture. They had advanced writing,
mathematics, and astronomy. Their calendar
even predicted lunar eclipses thousands of years
before they happened!
Whether the Mayas believed 2012 to be a
cause for celebration or the end of the world is a
question that has long baffled historians.
2012: Predictions
The Mayas aren't the only people who have been
concerned with 2012, There are some interpreta-
tions of the Bible that say 2012 is when the final
battle between good and evil will take place.
The ancient Chinese text / Ching, or Book of
Changes, also points to 2012 as the end of the
world. There are even some predictions by
NASA, the U.S. space agency, that call attention
to the year. NASA predicts a sharp increase in the
number of sunspots and sun flares for 2012
those changes could cause electrical failures and
satellite disruptions. So, maybe we'll be able
to keep our lives and just lose cable TV for a
few hours.
Some end-of-the-world theorists have their
own idea of what will happen in 2012. They be-
Heve that a polar reversal will occur. North will
become south and vice versa. That will cause the
sun to rise in the west. (Good morning, Seattle!)
Earthquakes will shatter cities, and giant tidal
waves will drown entire continents. Oh, and if
that weren't enough, nuclear reactors will melt.
buildings will collapse, and a dense cloud of vol-
canic ash will block the sun for 40 years. Sounds
rough. Better make sure you have an umbrella!
But let's put human predictions aside for a mo-
ment. There is a rumor amongst believers that a
Web-based prediction program was created in
the late 199as. The Web Bot Project was al-
legedly designed to identify trends in the stock
market, but is mostly mentioned today in con-
junction with 2012 rumors. It is said that by scan-
ning the Internet, the Web Bot Project bases its
predictions on society's deepest thoughts. It
works on its own to seek out certain keywords
and analyzes the text that comes before and after
\vocab
APOCALYPSE; widespread destruction and disaster; the
end of the world
October 2, 2009 READ 15
those words. It processes the data and makes
predictions about our future.
Are you still skeptical? Online bloggers claim
that The Web Bot Project has predicted a number
of disasters, including the 2001 anthrax scare in
Washington, D.C.; the East Coast power outage
in 2003; the earthquake that resulted in the 2004
tsunami; and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Accord-
ing to proponents of The Web Bot Project, it
warns of a global cataclysmic event expected
to take place in late December 2012. However,
details of previous "predictions" cannot be
found, and no credible source mentions the
existence of such a program.
Before you get caught up in all the Web Bot
craziness. remember that this man-made slice of
technology is not a prophet; it may not even
exist. There is no evidence of a Web Bot manu-
facturer, and no report to prove that it has made
any predictions at all!
2012: Preparations
Some people think that the supposed apocalypse
will result in a restoration of balance. In other
words, when the world comes to an end. every-
thing will be OK because the universe will be in
harmony Hmm. Well, if you don't agree with any
of the above theories, there are literally thou-
sands of others you can choose from. If you go
online and google "2012" and "the end of the
world." you'll be bombarded with more than
300,000 hits. People can't seem to make up their
minds about how the world vrill end, probably be-
cause there's no actual proof that it will.
How are believers preparing for the end?
Every day, more and more survival and support
groups are created in Europe. Canada, and the
United States. On the Web, people can offer
their own theories, preparations, and survival
strategies to cope with the world's end. At
www.2012supplies.com, there is a real-time
countdown until the end of the Mayan calendar
with the tagline "Be smart... be ready"
It appears that (for some people) it is never too
early to begin preparations for the so-called
doomsday Those who fear the end can stock up
on supplies specificaUy designed to withstand the
apocalypse, whatever that may be! You can buy
anything from water purification tablets and a U.S.
Army survival manual to a portable fire escape lad-
der and a gel-like material used to control bleeding.
2012: Really? I mean come on.
It is. of course, more than likely that the 2012
doomsday theories are just a trend that will even-
tually go out of style (like yo-yos and Pokmon).
Many observers suggest that apocalypse believ-
ers are simply uninformed. Others think that
they'll move on to new ways to scare up trouble
once 2013 rolls in.
16 READ October 2, 2009
Apocalyptic theories are hardly a modem-day
invention. Between the years 30 and 1990, there
were 63 recorded end-of-the-world predictions.
Because you are reading this article in 2009, that
means there have been 63/a;7erf predictions!
Feeling a bit safer?
In the 12th century, John of Toledo, a Spanish
cardinal, predicted that the world would end at
the moment of planetary alignment on Sept. 23,
1186. Didn't happen. Benjamin Keach, a 17th cen-
tury Baptist, predicted that the world would end
in the year 1689. Didn't happen. A meteorologist,
Albert Porta, predicted that a magnetic current
would cause the sun to explode and engulf Earth
on Dec. 17, 1919. Guess what? Didn't happen. If
all those theorists were wrong, why should there
be any truth to the Mayan calendar scare?
The hype surrounding the year 2012 is ex-
traordinary. Without solid evidence, all we have
is speculation. People are already taking serious
precautions to ensure their survival. The excite-
ment over 2012 is similar to concerns about the
Y2K bug that plagued the world just before the
millennium. People feared a technological melt-
down would occur at the moment when comput-
ers were forced to adjust to the year 2000. And in
that case, the buildup proved to be scarier than
the event. Will it be the same with the 2012 apoc-
alypse theory? For now, all we can do is enjoy
every day as if it were our last. Because frankly,
any day could be, whether it is Dec. 21, 2012, or
May 7, 2025, or tomorrow. Only time will tell.
2012:Film
3 vocab
PROPHET: a person who predicts the future
RESTORATION: renewal
We all know that Hollywood loves a good
disaster movie. And with 2013 only a little
more than three years away, the window of
opportunity to take advantage of the 2012
apocalypse theory on-screen is shrinking.
2012 is a film that is slated to release in
November. The movie follows a large group
of people as they deal with natural disasters
and a coming apocalypse. The trailer for the
movie includes the tagline.- How would the
governments of our planet prepare six billion
people for the end of the worid? Answer
tagline: They wouidn't {cue suspense music).
The trailer concludes with enormous waves
sweeping over snow-covered mountains and
wiping out a monastery perched on a high
cliff. How much help is a U.S. Army survival
guide now?
WRITE ABDUT
ace yourself in a story that takes place o
20, 2012, the day before the supposed ap
Wii'.f How will you spend your last full day
.lssuming that the next day is Earth's last).
( i' iv; will otfiers react? Send your story to us at
J^forri@weeklyreader.com Put " 201?" in the sub-
" !tl iirii' Wo'll post l i ' oLi rbl ogat
r''L |--I1J-
October 2. 2009 READ 17