Predictions for 2013

With the end of the year drawing closer and closer, it's hard to ignore the warnings of the end of the world, which is set to be on December 21, 2012 according to the Mayan calender. Popular television shows, like Doomsday Preppers, only hypes up the date more. The show rates participants on how long they are expected to survive after a disaster, like the failure of the global economy or Yellowstone erupting, occurs. I decided to take the online quiz to find out how long I would survive after the world ends on December 21, 2012. Based on my storage of food and water, shelter, and security, I would survive for 1 to 2 weeks. So if the world does end on this rapidly approaching date, I will not be around for much of 2013.

Disastrous Drought

According to the Drought Monitor report, 62% of the continental United States is in a drought. With almost two thirds of the country in a drought, forest fires are burning and crops are failing. The most obvious indication of the severe drought that is overtaking our nation is the 3,700-acre wildfire that is burning in Colorado near the Rocky Mountains. Peaks that are normally covered with snow at this time of year are burning. The Great Plains are experiencing the worst of it with some places having  falling eight to fourteen inches of precipitation less than is normal over the past three months. The wheat crop has been suffering with about a quarter of it in poor condition. Hopefully, the country experiences more precipitation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/07/us/season-has-changed-but-the-drought-endures.html?ref=us

Is College Tuition Prices Beginning to Drop?

According to the College Board, the average tuition of both public and private colleges is going down. Currently, the average yearly cost for in-state students attending public colleges is $8,240. Private colleges cost $28,500 yearly for in-state students. However, one private college in Charlotte, North Carolina is reducing its yearly tuition by 33%. Belmont Abbey College is reducing its cost from $27,500 to $18,500. William Thierfelder, the president of Belmont Abbey College, said "It seemed a little bit like madness, with costs going up each year, we were raising tuition each year, only to give it back on the financial aid side to help students be able to afford it." The hope is that potential students who only look at the price of colleges, which discourages them from applying, will consider attending the college.

http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/30/college-cuts-its-tuition-by-33/?hpt=hp_bn1