In the year 2012, there will be a presidential election in Finland on January 15; the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games will begin in London at 7-30 p.m. UTC on July 27; there will be 7 billion people living on Earth on October 19, according to the U.S. Census Bureau; and, on December 21, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, referred to more familiarly as the Mayan calendar, will complete its thirteenth cycle and, based on all of these events- according to the Mayan belief system- the world will come to an end. If you don't believe the Mayans, you can check in with The Bible Code, which predicts a meteor, asteroid, or comet will collide with the Earth; The Nostradamus Code, which opts for a possible nuclear war or some other natural or man-made destruction; or The Orion Prophecy, which claims there will be a reversal of the Earth's magnetic field. Pick your poison - no matter what happens, we're all toast. Or maybe not - maybe the year 2012 is just a new opportunity, the dawning of a new age, where we'll all get a shot at a second chance and can opt to get things right this time. Could 2012 bring us good things instead of bad? The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012gives readers a look at what the Mayan prophecy is all about, what it means to them, and much more- The Cosmic Calendar revealed - and how the ancient Egyptians, the Bible, the Koran, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and other sources all refer to an end time in 2012 Global warming and climate change, and how the Mayans predicted them Your own personal journal, and the tools you'll need to survive into the 6th Age After 2012 - the end of the world or a Golden Age to come? Glossary of terms and symbols, resources for a changing world, and exercises to assist you in your journey.