Most people find the 2012 prophecies laughable, but that’s only because the earth, tenacious planet that it is, has managed to survive many doomsdays in the past decade.

People may think of it as an unfulfilled prophecy, but it is actually an incredible feat of survival on the earth’s part. Why, just last year, we’ve survived the apocalypse twice when Harold Camping made his two magnificently mistaken rapture predictions.

Of course, the skepticism is understandable, but you’d do well to suspend your disbelief. This year will really be the year it all ends if you go by the Mayan calendar, an ancient relic made by a long-dead civilization may be a credible source to some.

If that’s not enough to convince you that the world will end this year, well, just look around. Temperatures are rising and dropping by extremes. Polar bears are disappearing. Justin Bieber is said to have fathered a child. The signs are everywhere.

You’d best take heed and take a page from the preppers, a group of people who’ve read the signs, seen the truth, and started preparing for the catastrophic event that will alter life as we know it.

We may not know how it’s going to happen yet. It could be a stock market crash, nuclear warfare, alien invasion, coronal mass ejection, zombie apocalypse, or the coming of Bieberspawn. Whatever it is, here are preparations you and your family can do for the apocalypse that’s sure to come eventually.

Tip #1: Create a self-sustaining food farm in your backyard pool

One admirable prepper featured on a National Geographic documentary came up with the ingenious idea of turning his pool into an aquaponic farm. The most brilliant feature by far is the farm’s design, which makes sure that his tilapia colony can feed on the chicken droppings that fall from the coop—because we all love the taste of chicken-crap-fed-fish.

According to the prepper, he created this farm to lessen his dependence on electricity, which is crucial to survival in the case of a coronal mass ejection that will destroy the earth’s electric grid.

In that context, it really makes sense. But for those who don’t have backyard pools or cannot abide the taste of tilapia, another option would be to live with the Amish, or to experience a Filipino-style brownout. Either two are equally effective ways to learn how to live without power.

Tip #2: Stock up on canned goods, cup noodles, and MREs

Canned goods, cup noodles and MREs (meals-ready-to-eat, food eaten by American soldiers on the field) are the holy trinity of no-cook food.

They don’t taste half bad either. Remember not to overstock, though. Just about one cellar’s worth will be enough.

Do not forget to stock up on can openers and hot water keepers too, although when you’re on the move from looters or zombies, you might have to stick to your trusty Skyflakes, which, come to think of it, should also be on your prepper shopping list.

Tip #3: Purchase a luxury underground shelter

In most doomsday scenarios, this is really the only way you’ll survive. Food and water won’t matter when a collision with Planet X/Nibiru causes a torrent of fire to rain down from the heavens.

Lucky for us, there are a number of doomsday shelters already on the market. Those who want a no-nonsense roof over their heads can choose among some safehouses:

All these promise to provide safe and secure accommodations underneath cement-thick foundations and climate-proof ceilings.

But those who want to rough out the rapture with a touch of style might want to check out Vivos, a luxury underground safehouse placed in secure locations in the American desert.

For a co-ownership fee of only $9,950 per person you will receive a sure supply of food, fuel, materials, and a space in the Vivos community for 6 months.

Sure, it may sound like a steep price to some, but the kind people at Vivos do have a financial aid plan that allows the poorlings to pay the full amount in installments over a number of years. Because of course, even in the post-apocalyptic world, currencies, the economy, credit cards, and checks will continue to work in the same way as they do now.

Then again, for us here in the Third World, this third tip is barely an option. Doomsday shelters here are virtually non-existent, so in the case of a collision with Planet X, or any other earth-shattering catastrophe, well, to be perfectly frank, we’re good as gone, so let’s hope that the apocalypse comes in the form of something we know how to handle like EDSA traffic jams.

Sarcasm aside, for all we know, the preppers could be spot on in their beliefs, in which case, the apocalypse would be the biggest “I-told-you-so” in the post-history of mankind.

But until then, let’s focus on not letting paranoia get the better of us, and starting the New Year with optimism. By Amanda T. Lago, GMA News

Sadly, mankind’s use (abuse?) of dogs did not change during the Age of Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution. In fact, some thinkers viewed dogs much like machines. Many dogs were killed as they were trained to run along the front lines so as to draw enemy fire and to reveal the gun positions of opposing forces. Wars in the 20th century witnessed military dog training centers and specialized breeding to produce the ultimate canine warrior. They were gassed, used to blow up tanks (known as suicide dogs) and to detect land mines or booby traps. Dogs also flushed-out enemy snipers and uncovered terrorist bomb materials.

In a world ruled by man, you would never know that tens of thousands of dogs (and many other types of animals like horses, mules, pigeons, elephants, etc…) have died in wars. The history of warfare is, of course, usually written from a male dominated and victors perspective. Histories have always emphasized how fortunate canines were to be the chosen ones, and how loving and tender their masters were, including the bonds they developed. Regarding the dog that was used to help assassinate Osama bin Laden, news reports emphasize superior technologies at the expense of the debate over animal rights.

Evidently, the canine’s teeth had been extracted and replaced with titanium “choppers.” The one drawback, states the article, is that many of the dental sets fall out when the dog is chomping on the enemy. Not only do these war dogs have a metallic smile consisting of fearful fangs, but they are equipped with infrared/night vision wireless cameras. This technology helps them see 1000 yards away and through concrete walls. American canine warriors, just like troops, are sent into battle wearing body armor. The Navy Seals waterproof “Canine Tactical Assault Suits” even comes in an array of colors. The bargain price is only $86,000.

The word “betryal” comes to mind in thinking about how mankind has conscripted dogs for the purpose of their dirty little wars. When dogs are drafted against their already somewhat domesticated wills, they have to go through innumerable endurance tests, some that include electrical shock. Those who are considered “fit” are made into canine warriors to be sacrificed in battle or in times of war. These wars were not of their choosing nor of their doing. And just like Adolf Hitler who poisoned his beloved German Shepherds the night before he committed suicide, training war dogs to die in battle must also be the ultimate betrayal. In other words, mans best friend is really dogs worst enemy.

In “Straw Dogs: Thoughts On Humans And Other Animals,” John Gray writes: “…the Taoists looked to other animals as their guides to the good life. Animals in the wild know how to live; they do not need to think or choose. It is only when they are fettered by humans that they cease to live naturally. If humans differ from other animals, it is partly in the conflicts of their own instincts. They crave security, but they are easily bored; they are peace-loving animals, but they have an itch for violence; they are drawn to thinking, but at the same time they hate and fear the unsettlement thinking brings.”

Perhaps the fatal flaw in mankind, the original sin, is the cult of domestication. Man has always tried to domesticate nature, children, women, animals and even each other through war and killing. Ironically, it is in war that man himself is also remade in an unnatural image and reduced to the status of a domesticated animal, one that must always obey his/her master. Man might view dogs as his best friend, but if only dogs could speak and be unfettered to think and act in their original state of nature, they just might view man as their worst enemy. By WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling.

The US military “could have captured or killed Osama bin Laden in 2001 if it had launched a concerted attack on his hideout in Afghanistan,” according to a damning Congressional report that comes on the eve of unveiling of a new Af-Pak policy by the Barack Obama Administration.

The 49-page report “Tora Bora Revisited: How we failed to get Bin Laden and Why it Matters Today”, prepared by the staff of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and released today, points finger at then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his top military commander Tommy Franks for turning down requests for reinforcements to pursue Laden.

Laden, trapped in the rugged mountainous area in eastern Afghanistan, expected to die and had even written a will, said the report, commissioned by Committee Chairman John Kerry.

“On or around December 16, two days after writing his will, bin Laden and an entourage of bodyguards walked unmolested out of Tora Bora and disappeared into Pakistan’s unregulated tribal area. Most analysts say he is still there today,” the report said.

“Fewer than 100 American commandos were on the scene with their Afghan allies and calls for reinforcements to launch an assault were rejected. Requests were also turned down for US troops to block the mountain paths leading to sanctuary a few miles away in Pakistan,” it said. The Times Of India

A survey found that 50.5 per cent of UAE marriages were between cousins, and 26 per cent of those were
first cousins.

However, that figure represents a rise from previous studies, said Dr Ahmad Teebi, a professor of paediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar.

“While this trend has been declining elsewhere, we are seeing an increase in the UAE,” he told Khaleej Times in a phone interview. “However, the increase is still relatively small.”

Teebi said that the practice of cousin marriages had decreased in Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania and the Palestinian population in Israel.

At a conference in Doha on Wednesday, Teebi spoke of potential problems of first cousin marriages.

“In the case of first-cousin marriage, a couple’s chance of having a baby with a birth defect rises from three per cent, which is the non-cousin marriage rate, to between 4.5 and six per cent,”
said Teebi.

“In the case of second-cousin marriages, the risk increases only slightly above that of the general population.

“The frequency of a normally-rare disease can increase among populations that marry within the family,”
he added.

“This is known as founder effect and can be observed in geographically isolated areas and among populations that practice intermarriage based on circumstances, customs, beliefs or economics. We also see an increase in the number of miscarriages as a result of this practice.”

It is estimated that up to 20 per cent of marriages worldwide today are between first cousins, said Teebi. Reasons for the practice include geographical isolation, social or psychological support, convenience and tradition,
he added.

“Avoiding cousin marriage will result in a real reduction of the frequency of birth defects and genetic diseases in general,” Dr. Teebi said. “But if marriage between a close relative is unavoidable, I encourage premarital genetic counselling. This may include carrier testing and would help the couple and their doctor create a plan for prevention.” Khaleej Times

After shaping and baking, the result would be very bland and the clay is too fragile to be used. Basically, all pottery artists glaze the objects after it was baked. Glazing is the process that enables pottery artist to add color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof the objects.

For now, many people are inclined to this form of art. This is one way to express creativity and in some way a stress relief. For those on the lookout for pottery equipment and products Amaco because offers a wide range of glazing products from acmi glazes to cone 06 glazes and including all line related to pottery making. You may even find safety information tips that are a must to avoid injuries and damages to the craft. Or you can even find inspiration on what to create right from their artist.

Obama joined the leaders of Britain and France in accusing the Islamic republic of clandestinely building an underground plant to make nuclear fuel that could be used to build an atomic bomb. Iranian officials acknowledged the facility but insisted it had been reported to nuclear authorities as required.

“Iran’s action raised grave doubts” about its promise to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes only, Obama told a news conference at the conclusion of a G-20 summit whose focus on world economic recovery was overshadowed by disclosure of the Iranian plant.

Obama said a telling moment could come next week when Iran meets with U.S. and other major nations to discuss the nuclear issue.

“Iran is on notice that when we meet with them on Oct. 1 they are going to have to come clean and they are going to have to make a choice” between international isolation and giving up any aspirations to becoming a nuclear power, he said. If they refuse to give ground, they will stay on “a path that is going to lead to confrontation.”

In a dramatic, early morning announcement about the secret Iranian facility, Obama said, “Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow. The size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program.”

Unbowed, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country had done nothing wrong and Obama would regret his accusations.

At a news conference in New York, Ahmadinejad said the plant wouldn’t be operational for 18 months but sidestepped a question about whether Iran had sufficient enriched uranium to manufacture a nuclear weapon. Still, he said such armaments “are against humanity, they are inhumane,” and he said anyone who pursues them “is retarded politically.”

Later Friday on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” Ahmadinejad said Iran did inform international authorities about its program and questioned what exactly Obama found fault with.

“We exceeded our commitment to the agency based on the regulations, and so is Mr. Obama really questioning why we informed the agency,” Ahmadinejad said, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The head of Iran’s nuclear program suggested U.N. inspectors would be allowed to visit the site. Ali Akbar Salehi called the facility “a semi-industrial plant for enriching nuclear fuel” that is not yet complete, but he gave no other details, according to the state news agency IRNA.

The plant, near the holy city of Qom southwest of Tehran, would be about the right size to enrich enough uranium to produce one or two bombs a year, but inspectors must get inside to know what is actually going on, one U.S. official said.

At his Pittsburgh news conference, Obama appeared to hold out limited hope for the Oct. 1 meeting, which will be the first of its kind in more than a year. Iran has said its nuclear program should not be on the agenda.

“When we find that diplomacy does not work, we will be in a much stronger position to, for example, apply sanctions that have bite,” Obama said. “That’s not the preferred course of action. I would love nothing more than to see Iran choose the responsible path.”

He said he was confident in the reliability of the intelligence information about Iran’s secret nuclear facilities.

“This was the work product of three intelligence agencies, not just one,” Obama said. “They checked over this work in a painstaking fashion.”

Obama said he was especially pleased that Russia and China agreed with him that Iran must live up to its obligations under international rules on nuclear activities. The leaders of Britain and France joined Obama at his morning announcement.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, at his own news conference in Pittsburgh, urged Iran to cooperate and “demonstrate its good intentions” at the Oct. 1 meeting and in allowing inspections. “We call on Iran to show maximum cooperation with the IAEA on this issue,” he said.

Beyond tougher economic sanctions, options for acting against Iran are limited and perilous.

Military action by the United States or an ally such as Israel could set off a dangerous chain of events in the Islamic world. In addition, Iran’s facilities are spread around the country and well hidden, making an effective military response difficult.

Asked about the prospect of using military force to stop Iran from getting the bomb, Obama said, “With respect to the military, I’ve always said that we do not rule out any options when it comes to U.S. security interests, but I will also re-emphasize that my preferred course of action is to resolve this in a diplomatic fashion. It’s up to the Iranians to respond.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking Friday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said it would be a mistake to rule out military action, but he also said there was still room to pursue diplomacy.

“The reality is, there is no military option that does anything more than buy time,” Gates said, adding that the U.S. believes Iran could have a nuclear weapons within one to three years. “And the only way you end up not having a nuclear-capable Iran is for the Iranian government to decide that their security is diminished by having those weapons, as opposed to strengthened.”

Obama’s European partners talked tough, too.

“We will not let this matter rest,” said British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who accused Iran of “serial deception.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Iran has until December to comply with demands for a fuller accounting of its program or face tough new sanctions.

On Capitol Hill, three senators — Democrat Evan Bayh of Indiana, Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona and Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut — issued a joint statement condemning Iran.

“Given Iran’s consistent pattern of deceit, concealment and bad faith, the only way to force Iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions is to make absolutely clear to the regime in Tehran that its current course will carry catastrophic consequences,” the senators said. “We must leave no doubt that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to stop Iran’s nuclear breakout.”

Iran had previously acknowledged having only the one uranium enrichment plant, under international monitoring, and had denied allegations of undeclared nuclear activities.

James Acton, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said a consensus has developed that if Iran were to decide to manufacture nuclear weapons the key material probably would be produced in a clandestine facility. “This should persuade any doubters that Iran’s program is not for peaceful purposes,” Acton said. By Charles Babington and Robert Burns, Star Tribune.

The “baselines act” signed by President Gloria Arroyo spells out Manila’s claims to parts of the group of islands and atolls in the South China Sea that is also claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Signing the law “turned out to be very negative for bilateral relations,” Ambassador Liu Jianchao told foreign correspondents.

“Our stand is indisputable sovereignty by China over the islands in the South China Sea and adjacent waters,” Liu said. He said Beijing had made its stand “very clear” to the Philippine government and was expecting Manila to resolve the issue.

The baselines law “encroaches” on China’s sovereignty and was a violation of a code of conduct adopted by all claimants to refrain from making unilateral moves that could disturb the status quo in the area.

Liu however said China was still for the “peaceful settlement” of the overlapping claims, even as he acknowledged this could take a long time to resolve. The ambassador said claims to the islands were a bilateral issue between China and the countries involved.

“We are opposed to the internationalization of the dispute, or its regionalization,” he said. “We are ready to work with countries on a bilateral basis.”

Liu said the rival claimants were however on the right track by agreeing to jointly conduct studies in the area and to possibly share vast natural resources or oil reputed to be lying under the islands.

China was ready to listen to proposals by its smaller neighbors on joint cooperation and development in the area, he said. “I think it will take some time. We can’t do it very soon, so we are ready to have very serious and business-like consultations with other countries concerned,” he said.

There have been deadly armed confrontations among naval forces by claimants to the Spratlys, called Nansha islands by China, in the past.

Those 360 women are included in the research and with an average age of 51 years, who were in a stable relationship, switching between partners or married. The case of each woman was reviewed yearly as regards the status of the relationship and the impact any change had on her sleeping patterns was then thoroughly analyzed. Quality of sleep in all subjects was analyzed both objectively using specialized instruments, and subjectively using questionnaires that the women were asked to fill out at regular intervals.

They concluded that, while women in a stable relationship rated their nightly sleep the same as married ones, they were actually sleeping worse, but they were simply not aware of it. Overall, women who were happily married had the best and most resting nightly sleep, researchers are now able to reveal. This could happen because, unlike stably married women, those in a simple relationship might still be experiencing the “newlywed effect” or have not yet grown accustomed to sharing their life (and bed) with a partner, regardless of how long they’ve been involved with the man.

Those subjective findings were also backed up by pure science, as researchers made three nightly visits a year to the home of each woman involved in the study, in order to monitor her sleeping pattern and see whether her personal life influenced it in any way. Moreover, aside from analyzing their brainwaves and eye movements during sleep, researchers also asked the subjects to wear a wrist monitor for an entire month, which, again, was supposed to shed light on the quality of their sleep.