Why 2033?

After reading several articles that referenced the year 2033, I decided to do my own research to find out why there is so much hype around the year 2033…Here are a few interesting facts about the year we call MMXXXIII…

Disappearing of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The glaciers atop Mt. Kilimanjaro could disappear completely in the next two decades, researchers have found. Warmer temperatures and drier, less cloudy conditions are contributing to sublimation and melting of the glaciers atop the mountain. 85 percent of the ice cover that was present in the 1900s has vanished; If current conditions persist, the ice could disappear as early as 2022, or as late as 2033. They say that this glacial recession could be caused by several factors: climate change, human activity, lack of snowfall at the summit and forest reduction in the surrounding areas. The conditions are also likely responsible for ice shrinkage on other equatorial glaciers worldwide. Kilimanjaro's ice fields have survived 11,700 years, lasting through a 300-year drought and other climate changes, but current conditions could wipe out the glaciers.

http://www.pnas.org/content/106/47/19743.short

Social Security Trust Fund Depletion Date

The social security system trustees said that the fund that sustains retiree benefits will become exhausted in 2033. Kind of alarming that all of the money we have worked our entire lives for will be all washed up before we ever get to enjoy any of it! So, will we then be working until a much older age in order to cover our expenses as senior citizens? How does that work? Maybe that will help the Medicaid issue being that as senior citizen employees we will have health insurance. However, the longer we wait, the higher the tax rate is going to have to be to make up the difference unless we do something to reform Social Security.

http://nbcpolitics.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/23/11355323-social-security-trustees-see-earlier-fund-depletion-date?lite&ocid=ansmsnbc11

55% of Amazon Rainforest, South America Depleted

With 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen originating from the Amazon, it’s no wonder why some call it the lungs of our planet. The Amazon’s 1.4 billion acres of dense forest is a buffet of biodiversity and one of the world's greatest natural resources. Despite the critical role it plays in sustaining the planet, the South American rain forest is being destroyed at an alarming rate. Land is being cleared for cattle ranches, logging, soybean farming and mining. According to the World Wildlife Fund, 55 percent of the Amazon's rain forest could be gone by 2033 if current deforestation rates continue.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_of_the_Amazon_Rainforest

http://www.worldwildlife.org/home-full.html

Svedka Vodka Declaration

In 2005 ads, Svedka vodka advertised that by the year 2033 Svedka will be the most popular vodka in the world.

http://www.nypost.com/p/svedka_and_femme_bot_likely_to_offend_m3J0t69XOWOFMydvO1Gk3I

European Space Agency Sends a Human to Mars

The goal is that the ESA's Aurora Programme will send a manned spacecraft to Mars.  However, the human part of the Programme has been challenged by the main ESA contributors (France, Germany and Italy), making it quite possible that the whole Aurora Programme will be forced to allow robotic-only exploration of Mars....Perhaps the Svedka Vodka Femme Bot would be interested in that research???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_programme

Final Phase of Britain's HS2 Rail Link To Be Complete

High speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway between London and the Midlands, Northern England, and eventually, the central belt of Scotland. In January 2012 the go-ahead was given for phase one of the line to be constructed by 2026, with additional tunneling to meet environmental concerns. According to the Department of Transport, the primary purpose of HS2 is to provide additional capacity on the rail network from London to the Midlands and North.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HS2



Cheers to 2033!!!

~K