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Subscribe to RSSDec. 21 is the day many believe the ancient Maya predicted the world would end. The hype has spread on social media, illustrating the world's fascination with the end of time. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports.
After years of claptrap about the Maya apocalypse on 12/21/12, the Big Day has dawned in many parts of the world. It's daytime in China, one of the world's hot spots for doomsday angst. So far, no solar flares have fried the earth, and no mountains have fallen into the sea. The sun will soon rise on Mexico's ancient Maya monuments, where thousands are gathering to greet a new era.
Then what?
"I don't think there's going to be a herd of jaguars descending from the heavens," said John Henderson, an anthropologist at Cornell University who specializes in the Maya world.
Archaeologists and astronomers have thoroughly debunked everything about the doomsday myth: The Maya never expected that the world would end when their Long Count calendar rolled over to the next 144,000-day cycle in 2012. Earth's magnetic field is not going haywire. There's no threat from the Large Hadron Collider, or the sun, or unseen planets, or the galactic plane.
More: Keep up to date on non-doomsday
Not everything about the Big Day is doom and gloom: Tourists and New Age types have flocked to the Maya ruins of Chichen Itza to greet Friday's dawn and the start of a new age with rituals old and new. "There is an explosion of consciousness through this," a gray-haired Californian musician named Shambala Songstar told Reuters. "We are becoming billionaires of energy. Opening to receive more light and more joy."
Minu Nair, a 27-year-old tourist from India, joked about the doomsday connection after hiking up to the top of the Maya pyramid at Coba, about an hour's drive from Chichen Itza. "At least we can die saying we saw the end of the world," he said with a laugh.
But not everything is sweetness and light, either. "We have to beware of mass psychosis," said Mexico's best-known soothsayer, Antonio Vazquez Alba. According to The Associated Press, Vazquez warned his followers to stay away from mass gatherings on Friday, out of concern about stampedes — or even mass suicides "of the kind we’ve seen before."
More: The scene at Chichen Itza
Victor Ruiz Garcia / Reuters
A man in a warrior costume dances in front of the Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza in Mexico on Thursday.
Hector Retamal / AFP - Getty Images
A member of a folklore group places a Maya mask on his head in front of the Gran Jaguar temple in the Tikal archaeological site, north of Guatemala City.
Hector Retamal / AFP - Getty Images
A member of a folk group performs wearing a Maya mask at the Tikal archaeological site.
Orlando Sierra / AFP - Getty Images
Guatemalan shaman Christian Nottbohn conducts a Maya ceremony in Rastrajon, which was once a settlement for warriors tasked with protecting the ancient city of Copan in present-day Honduras.
Elsewhere, more than 1,000 members of Church of Almighty God were reportedly detained in China for spreading doomsday rumors. Hundreds more were heading for Serbia's Mount Rtanj and the French town of Bugarach, in search of a haven from the apocalypse. Authorities in Argentina limited access to a mountain called Cerro Uritorco after rumors spread about a plan for "massive spiritual suicide." In Michigan, dozens of schools were shut down early, partly because of end-of-the-world worries stoked by the Maya hype.
More: Rumors lead to school closures in Michigan
What would the ancient Maya think? "The Maya thought about everything in terms of cycles," Henderson told NBC News today. "Some may have expected the gods to fine-tune their creation of humanity. But others may have taken it more as an occasion to contemplate whether they were the kind of people they ought to be. And we can take it in the same way."
Think of it as the opportunity for New Year's Resolutions — or, in this case, New Baktun's Resolutions.
The Maya Long Count calendar divides time into a series of periods, building up to a cycle called the baktun that lasts 144,000 days, or a little more than 394 years. Dec. 21 marks the completion of 13 baktuns, which the Maya saw as a full cycle of creation. In some texts, the end of the 13th baktun — 13.0.0.0.0, in numerical notation — was used to refer to a long, long time.
"It would be like you and I saying, 'George Washington was such a great leader for us that we'll still be talking about him in the year 3000,'" said Walter Witschey, an anthropologist and Maya expert at Longwood University in Virginia.
But the Maya never thought time stopped in 2012 — or the year 3000, for that matter. A recently discovered Maya workshop demonstrated that calendar-makers contemplated time frames well beyond 2012, and the longest Maya calendar cycle, the alautun, goes out about 63 million years.
More: How the Maya calendar works
The concept of a Maya apocalypse appears to date to the 1960s: That was when anthropologist Michael Coe wrote a book speculating that the Maya saw the final day of the 13th baktun as the time for an "Armageddon" that would overtake all creation. Over the years, that idea became wrapped up with Christian ideas about the end times.
"So much of this Maya calendar fascination plays to very natural human tendencies to look for sources of information about the future, right?" said Loa Traxler, an archaeologist who is the curator of a "Maya 2012" exhibit at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia. "When you add to that a lot of opinions that would point us to the end of days, and events of great reckoning, and destruction as the opening chapter of great change ... those are trends that play very strongly in modern society."
Some cultures get more concerned about it than others. In May, an international public opinion survey conducted by Ipsos for Reuters found that 20 percent of the Chinese respondents agreed that the Maya calendar would mark the end of the world. About 12 percent of the U.S. respondents felt that way, compared with only 4 percent in Germany.
Traxler said she encountered several well-educated people who asked her serious questions about the 2012 Maya apocalypse during a cruise through the Mediterranean in 2009. "It caught me by surprise," she said.
Her experience on that cruise was one of the reasons why she went to work on the "Maya 2012" exhibit, which tells the full story about the ancient Maya and their attentiveness to the cycles of time. "It has been quite an amazing adventure over the last several months," she said. "People have decided to make hay out of this."
More: In Maya doomsday, marketers see $$$
Dec. 21 has arrived, and predictions about the end of the world have proven false. TODAY's Jenna Wolfe asks people who believed the prophecy how they plan to move forward, now that we're all still here.
So when exactly does it stop? The consensus view among archaeologists is that the 13th baktun will end, and the 14th will begin, at sunrise Friday. "That would be sunrise in the Maya world, not in Beijing," Henderson joked.
But Witschey said there's still a bit of uncertainty about how the dates are calculated. "Most scholars would agree that we have a match within about three or four days," he said. "That means that the rollover of cycle 13 is going to hit on Dec. 21, or 23, or 24."
If past doomsday scares are any guide, it will take a while for the folks who were so worried about 12/21/12 to settle down. Some might claim that the date for the apocalypse was miscalculated, and will actually come at a later time. Others might say that the world-shifting change has actually begun, but the rest of us just can't sense it yet. Case studies abound, ranging from the Great Disappointment of 1844 to the Planet Clarion prophecy of 1954 to the Rapture of 2011.
The precise day or hour of the Maya calendar turnover doesn't matter all that much to Witschey.
"It's no big deal," he said. "Whatever day it is, I'm going to wake up the next day, going forward."
That sounds sensible to me. How's it sound to you? Even though it's no big deal, we'll be passing along updates during the Big Day and beyond. Just check in with http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/2012 for the latest.
Update for 9:15 p.m. ET: Although New Zealand hasn't had to contend with a Maya apocalypse, they might have to deal with the remnants of Cyclone Evan over the long weekend.
Update for 11:15 p.m. ET: NASA says it has been fielding hundreds of questions a day from people who are worried about 12/21/12. "We have done all we can to answer questions from the public," David Morrison, an astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center, told NBC News in an email. "Unfortunately, many don't believe us, like several mothers who have written to me in the last few hours asking if they should keep their children at home today."
Morrison forwarded one email message (with the sender's name removed) that he said was typical. Here's what it said: "Just like to know how I can survive the end of the world? Two friends of mine committed suicide this week because of that dreaded day, date. I just want to try to survive, and please tell me what to do!?"
It's impossible to verify the substance of that particular email, but if the sentiment is "typical," I'm hoping such folks are getting the reassurance they need. DON'T PANIC!
Update for 9:20 a.m. ET Dec. 21: I've added a video from TODAY that sounds the all-clear in the apocalypse drill.
More about 2012:
- Why NASA jumped the gun on doomsday
- Doomsday hot spots around the globe
- Video: 'We're very respectful of traditions'
- Five apocalyptic dooms and why they won't happen
- Apocalypse-shmockalypse: 6 genuine natural threats
- Cosmic Log archive on 2012 and doomsday fears
This report includes information from Reuters and The Associated Press. The issue of when the 13th baktun ends is addressed in depth in "Exploring the 584286 Correlation Between the Maya and European Calendars" by Simon Martin and Joel Skidmore, published in the Fall 2012 issue of The PARI Journal.
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Wow! I thought FOR SURE that the prognosticators had it right this time. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.
The world is not going to end tomorrow. What is worrisome are some of the scenarios that could play out to make it "the end of the world as we know it". Long-term, large-scale power grid down, deadly pandemics, EMP event, global economic collapse, etc. Any of these would be very ugly and are much more likely in our lifetime.
Be safe out there and have fun!
I have no problem going back to a simpler time. Family sticks together, works together, and provides for the young ones that in turn will privide for them in older years. Circle of life sounds just fine for me. Don't get me wrong, i like computers and such, but all they have done for me so far is make me fat.
Brenda,
maybe but the process of reverting back to that time would be anything but clean; people would die, they would have to.
Like i said, I have no problem with that. People die every day. In fact, I plan on leaving this world some day. Whether it's today or 21 years from now makes no difference.
Some people surround them selves with fear - don't read Harry Potter, it has magic powers. Fear Unions, they control the world. Fear End Times (all of them). Fear life without guns. Fear other religions. Fear women's rights. Self induced depression, nice choice they made...lol.
Fear has become the USA's biggest industry after feeding our faces and shelter.
My only fear; is that I'll never find a bottle of Love Potion #9.
I saved the world, last night. I forgot I had a Mayan stone calendar in my
closet, since about the mid 1990’s, when I visited some friends in California,
and we drove down to Tijuana, for the day. I took it from the closet floor, and
reset it on a chest of drawers. So, I saved the world by resetting the Mayan
calendar.
Or maybe the world has stopped turning, and that's why doomsday hasn't come.
Actually that would bring about a major change but I get your joke. lol.
Or maybe they were are doped up and couldn't count past 2. India has opium, Mayans had the coca leaves, and the Hopi had peyote buttons. God only knows what they were all smoking in those peace pipes!! LOL!! Now on a serious note, if it's your time to go, there is nothing that is going to stop it. All this hoopla was for the birds. Course it was funny to watch all the shows on the history channel. Eventually the world will end, but there is no way to actually predict it, unless you are watching that asteroid coming right at you; or your finger is on the launch button for a nuclear weapon/germ bomb.
Have some respect for a great culture and civilization moron.
if they were so great, why aren't they still around?
Tell that to the Romans.
The last resort is the idea of aliens invading something like the Independance Day movie.
Good thing you can only kill me once. I'm going to live until I die!
Poor stupid fools are running around spending a fortune on nonsense because they don't read the Bible.
When Jesus was alive, He was asked when the world will end. His answer was that only God the Father knew. If Jesus didn' t know, why would a Mayan Indian know ??
This is as stupid as that Haley- Bopp comet crap some years ago where people actually committed mass suicide in order to join up on the comet.
Read the Bible, trust in God's love and you can sleep in peace.
Poor stupid fools showing up in church to compare clothes once a week and throwing all of their money into the collection plates because they just blindly believe in an ancient/modern myth or book that has been changed so many times.
If you really believe that jesus was a real person, then I hope you enjoy hanging out with all your dead relatives for eternity up in the clouds, looking down on the flat earth. I hated hanging out at my aunts and grandparents house for even a few hours when I was a kid.
I am still amazed by the incredible gullibility of so many people who believe in any organized religion rackets on this planet.
Ol' Dog, may you sleep in peace tonight.
Improve yourself, trust in yourself, believe in yourself, not a bunch of fairy tales.
Funny you should mention suicide, Jesus, and comets. In the mid-1800s there were a number of Christian nutballs who committed suicide when the world didn't end after a comet passed by.
Seriously, if you have an imaginary friend and need bible-babble to find peace, you might be better off talking to a psychiatrist.
It isn't fair for you to mock good ol'dogs faith just because you have none for yourself. Maybe the bible has been changed over the years numerous times. That doesn't prove god is imaginary anymore than haveing a bible proving god does exsist. It's what you beleive that is important. The Bible may have its faults, but there is a lot of good wisdom to be found in it on how to live your life.
If the Bible brings you peace when reading it, so be it.
It would be nice if most people took your "live and let live" attitude. Unfortunately there are far too many people out there that think they should be able to force the rest of us to live our lives based on the particular brand of "wisdom" found in the "good book".
You do have a point makememad, but would you not agree that maybe some of the ills of society today come from a move away from the moral upbringing that can be found in a bible? Could be standards to live by...or maybe just some guidelines to provide guidance. Maybe the moral principles in it couldn't hurt in today's society?
I don't know. I do applaud you Good Ol' Dog for coming in here and standing on your beliefs though. With how some of these people are about the bible, you might stand a better chance against a pack of ravenous wolves though. And I wonder why that is. I wonder why if you come in here and spout anything about religion, people go "ewww!!! the bible!! it's outdated!!! rewritten!!" Hmm.....
Perhaps if we look into the history of things, we might find some answers. Take their hero Friedrich Nietzsche, for an example. No wonder he didn't like religion (incestial/chauvinistic freak).
Why not? He was mocking the faith of other people so he can't expect not to be mocked himself.
His faith is just as stupid and bizarre as the one he criticized. Seriously, what kind of stupid fool engages in the cannibalism of his imaginary friend, thinking that he'll gain magic powers by doing so? Isn't that what Christianity is all about?
I applaud the live and let live attitude, and frankly, I don't believe that you need the bible to have a moral upbringing. Religion and morals do not have a 1:1 correlation. I do agree that society could benefit from some moral grounding, but I believe that morals could be instilled just as effectively in a secular framework than a religious framework. By all means, read the bible if it provides you comfort and its parables give guidance. Just don't foist it upon me as the only source for enlightenment, or burden me with laws based upon religious doctrine. Even within the Christian framework, different sects can't agree amongst themselves about many of the bible's teachings - yet people want to decide public policy based upon their own group's interpretations? It is folly.
Hazy,
All I can say is "Amen" to that :)
Though raised in a Christian environment other than my morals / values I would much rather keep the rest out of my government. The seperation of church and state was one of our ancestor's better ideas. Besides as long as people don't try and force their beliefs (or lack of) on me I would rather enjoy and benefit from the diversity and new ideas that it brings with them.
The world could use a fresh start.
Just not too fresh. Drop the population by about 6 billion of the stupidest people and we might have a chance to survive another hundred years. No politicians, lawyers or religious freaks allowed after the big reboot and the world would indeed be much better off.
Welcome to the world of the neanderthals.
@Sick of the Situation...................
And you should be the one to decide who remains?? Sorry don't like your scenario!
I was lucky enough to spend a year in Yucatan - met and socialized with many Maya, a fascinating and charming people. Have visited dozens of Maya sites, beautiful and admittedly haunting. An intriguing culture to be sure - math, astronomy, architecture, religion, art.
OK......I'm going to keep repeating over and over: "I am NOT a dam bit jealous........really I'm not :( As I sit here sulking :)
I agree that the world is not going to end at all today, but what I don't understand is everyone's difficulty comprehending timezones. The apocalypse was supposed to begin with the solstice at 11:11 A.M. universal time. This means that it would begin at 6:11 A.M. on the east coast of the U.S., or 12:11 A.M. on the 22nd in New Zealand. So of course everyone in New Zealand, Austrailia, and China are still going to be fine because the solstice hasn't begun yet even though it's the 21st. Again, the world is NOT going to end, but can these new agencies at least present this accurately if they are going to in the first place?
Aha, but where did this supposed 11:11 UTC time for the apocalypse come from? Certainly not from the Maya. As mentioned in the story, the Maya linked the beginning of their cycles with the sunrise. At Chichen Itza, sunrise is due at 6:26 a.m. CT, 7:26 a.m. ET.
Of course the sun is already up across Asia and the Western Pacific, and most of Africa, so they're "safe" as far as the sunrise switch-over from the 13th baktun is concerned. In just a few hours, we'll see what happens at 6:11 a.m. ET, and at 7:26 a.m. ET: more rituals, to be sure, but nothing catastrophic.
Any planes or ships crossing the international doomsdateline could be in for a big surprise, I pity the fools!
The Langoliers will be waiting for them.
I told you, it comes from the fact that 11:11 UTC comes from the fact that the solstice begins at the exact time. You are absolutely correct that it doesn't come from the Maya and I never said it did. The time the sun rises and the time the solstice begins has absolutely nothing to do with each other. This is the exact kind of confusion I was trying to clear up. The NBC logo next to your name and the fact that you have an actual picture next to your name as well, lead me to believe that you are employed by NBC. If this is the case, I would hope that you are more highly educated and are capable of what I am trying to say here. Again, I would like to reiterate that NOTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN. I am simply speaking hypothetically.
OK, thanks much, Dabel18 :-)
"I would hope that you are more highly educated and are capable of what I am trying to say here."
Questioning someone else's educational qualifications/level of intelligence with the above sentence? Hmmm. FAIL comes to mind.
In no way was I questioning this man's education or level of intelligence. I was simply saying that if he is employed by NBC then it would be safe to assume that he most likely received a great education and is therefore capapble of a more thoughtful and in depth conversation. Especially when there are alot of people out there who would prefer not to try to understand anything and just believe it really was the end of the world. All I meant was that it would be refreshing to have an intelligent conversation with someone about this topic instead of the usual ones I have with those less willing to understand.
@Mr. dabel,
"The NBC logo next to your name and the fact that you have an actual picture next to your name as well, lead me to believe that you are employed by NBC."
Here is your first clue:)
Quantum fluctuations in science, space and society, from quarks to Hubble and Mars. Served up by "Alan Boyle", NBC News Digital science editor. E-mail Alan, or connect via Facebook, Twitter or Google+.
and the By Alan Boyle credit after the opening picture might be your second clue............Just sayin :) By reading your comments and the fact that you don't sound very nice and are kinda negative I can only deduce that:
A. You are having a bad day (did you bet money on the apocolypse?), a bad year (you are in luck as it is almost over), or a bad life (sorry.....tough luck, huh).
B. You are not exactly Sherlock Holmes in disguise as all the clues were so obvious that even a 17 year old could see them.
Alan is probably my favorite author here as he brings articles thatnot only enlighten but brighten my day as well. Plus he even interacts with us blog zombies without managing to get bitten :)
signed,
A 17 year old
First of all, no I wasn't having a bad day or anything like that. Second of all, I would like to sincerely apologize to Mr. Boyle if I offended him in any way as that was not my intent. I know that it is easy to be misunderstood on the internet and to come off as being pretentious, stuck up, and a know-it-all. I meant no disrespect to this man in any way, shape, or form and I hope he can see this comment and forgive me. I was not trying to sound mean or anything, I was just frustrated by the people I deal with on a daily basis who couldn't comprehend how the world works (as far as time zones go). For your second point, I was actually insinuating that he was a very intelligent man ot be hired by a company such as NBC and I can fully respect the fact that a 17 year old can point this out to me. It is good to know that younger people (although not by much as I am 22) can carry conversations like this. In saying that I mean absolutely no disrespect to you either 2FAST4U1701. As many memes these days state, you have restored some of my faith in humanity and I can admit when I am wrong (a rare thing to been seen on the web). As for your last sentence about him interacting with his fans, you can bet that he has been brought to the forefront of my attention and I will most certainly be checking out some of his articles. Again, I would like to apologize to Mr. Boyle, and say thank you to you 2FAST4U1701 for taking the time to post an enlightened comment and show me the error of my ways while backing it up with evidence. Humbly yours, dabel18.
At least 3 of you will get this, then. The Mayan's long count calandar didn't hav leap year. It has been proposed that either they didn't know; or didn't think it was important. With the accuracy of all other aspects of their astronomical knoweledge, that is preposterous. It makes more sense that pryor to the long count we are in now, the Earth was a little closer to the Sun. Something happened around 5,000 years ago, which nudged us alittle farther out in our orbit, adding six hours a year to the time it takes for us to get where we're going.
Perhaps a large comet passed by the Earth on the side opposite the Sun , close enough for it's gravity to puull us away from the Sun, slightly. Perhaps an asteroid strike or large volcanic explosion, on the Sunward side pushed us away a little more. whatever happened resulted in an orbit that takes six hours a year longer to complete than it did, when the long count calendar was established.
If you do the math to add the extra time it takes to reach the point where it all comes to an end, you get June 21, 2015. Summer solstice. I would show you the math, but my waitress was too efficient and threw away the pertinent bar napkin.
Mr. dabel18,
I'll have to add gracious and kind as well as intelligent to my perception of you (bow and tip my hat) Your apology is accepted with great pleasure and I'm sorry as well if I had some fun with my comments at your expense :)
BTW- I actually thought that you were much older and more mature than 22. Now I'll have to add wiser as well:)
Den O'synn
I agree it seems odd that the Mayans wouldn't have known about leap year. I can only say that your hypothesis about Earth's orbit being affected around 5000 yrs. ago is "Fascinating" (right eyebrow goes up - lol). Really it would make for a great discussion. I would think that an event that could have that effect would be noticed and recorded in some civilizations myths, legends or historical archives. I'm truly going to look into this a bit. I would love to have seen the math. Just think if she didn't throw it away and instead becomes interested in your idea and makes a new and profound discovery leading to the salvation of humanity and the Earth :) While she is receiving Nobel Prizes, and having holidays, new galaxies, space stations (one probably a gift to her for vacations) and even starships named after her you can at least take satisfaction in knowing that you are a really great Tipper - LOL :)
I hope everyone has a safe, happy and fun filled holiday season and that next year is nore peaceful without all of the tragedies of 2012.
Den O'synn,
You might find the following article interesting. It involves a Mars size planet and Earth getting together. Just remove the - in the h-ttp as I am to new to post links( or so my Mom's friend says anyway it was almost 2 yrs before he thought to ask.)
h-ttp://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2012/10/18/moon-origin-zinc/1641999/
Leave it to the Christians to get this going, they'll believe in anything I guess.
You're a special kind of meanspirited wasteland, Snappa.
Nikko,
to the contrary. Read up on Harold Camping. That is all the proof needed to prove Snappa's claim about some Christians, the ones that are completely fanatic.
Geowil,
"claim about some Christians, the ones that are completely fanatic."
Fanatics !!! You might want to add anyone that is a member of any Extreme Fundamentalist Religous group. Take Mo and his Merry Minions the followers of Love and
Fright(errr I meant) Light for example - LOLZZZZ Also even the Tibetan Monk that lit himself on fire is rather freaky too. Ultra Orthodox Jews and the way they treat little girls and such. Add Athiests that say that they should just get rid of all the religous people as well ( I've heard out in the real world and read some of it even here at NBC and Newsvine). Include anyone so politically extreme that they wish harm on others or that resort to insults and name calling and I don't mean the ones that are just having fun teasing each other either.Ohhhh......and let me add some self proclaimed Wiccans. I actually heard a Wiccan angrily say that They should just kill off all the Jews, Christians and Muslims and all of the worlds problems would be answered - LOLZZZ.
Ohhh the Hypocrisy of it all!
Does anyone know what time they will announce the next apocalyptic date???
Snappa, I talked about the next apocalypses a year ago:
http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/12/21/9592763-2012-watch-the-countdown-begins?lite
After 2012, what's the next doomsday to watch for? Here are a few dates that are popping up:
I'll go with the Newton 2060 prophecy. I'll be 100 that year, so I wouldn't give a rat's patoot.
P.S. - Pluto is a planet.
Alan, check post #9.10, I've got another one for you.
A newly evolved fourth dimensional life form emerged on the
planet today.
We are its food.
So the Predator has finally arrived? I think we need to get Arnold geared up again. Hope the easy life has not made him go soft.
There ain't enough Viagra on the planet for that shriveled old buzzard to get geared up again
I'm the fruitcake no one wants.
The Bible tells us that "no man knows the hour or the day" so I will trust in God to let me know when it's time. That being said I think folks ought to keep their arrogance in check lest they reap what they sow. I do believe that the collective consciousness of mankind knows that SOMETHING is coming . This world is much too filthy, greedy and violent to last much longer. As always, if the mention of God's name offended anyone, it's still sort of a free country and you are most welcome to feel free to kiss my a$$.
My eye twitched a bit but it's OK
The mention of an imaginary god's name doesn't offend me, but you do. But as you say, it's a free country, so please feel free to kiss MY ass as well.
Crap, I guess I'll have to spend money on Christmas presents tomorrow. I was hoping to take it with me.
How dare you MSNBC! The time you spent putting together this fluff piece should have been devoted to more worthy causes such as ridiculing conservatives and promoting the president's communist manifesto! Get with the program you Goebel wannabes!!
The day isn't over yet people!
Oh, but I think it is, for you, my fine feathered handcarved wooden bird that comes out on the hour.
hollywood should take advantage of this and release, "2013 - after the big yawn"
S.O.T.S. needs to read some real history books. Jesus was a real person. He just also happened to be the son of God.
I know Jesus, he's the guy who has the taco truck on 14th. God sure makes a mean tortilla on the weekends when he works.
On Friday, 12/21/12, lied Astrologers even believe it,
But the new must research and study perhaps infects
sterno? bath salts?
Mushrooms maybe? Either way his avatar fits as it appears to be spaced or high :)
BTW- this comment mad me laugh pretty good but your comment at 18.1 after reading it a second time really had me crying. I might have to find a suitable avatar to truly honour your comment :)
NOT so fast- don't relax yet. Some scholars think the end of the world will actually be December 23rd or 24th (per the article above)...And you thought you would have a stress free Friday....
Now go look at the doomsday countdown on timeanddate-the world could still end today in 3 minutes....
Always fun to separate science from myth/folklore, and there is plenty of physical science out there. The "doomsday" shows on tv tend to be heavier on the myth side of things, but I've come across a few that had a fairly good amount of science to them.
What sounds the most scientifically reasonable to me? The link between the so-called "galactic alignment" and temperature increases rapid enough and high enough to end an ice age. The ice and soil core sample data dating back 26,000 years ago indicate just such a temperature increase took place, and the planet did, in fact, see the end of an ice age. At the mid-point of the galactic alignment cycle, or 13,000 years ago, the exact same alignment occurs, only on the summer solstice and in the opposite direction. Once again, the data from the core samples shows temperature increase consistent with ending an ice age. And if you go back 13,000 years, you'll see that this roughly coincides with species such as the wooly mammoth and saber tooth cat going extinct.
Two such instances tell me pattern is more likely than coincidence. If the pattern holds, we'll see another increase in global temperatures consistent with ending an ice age, only this time it will occur at a point where global temperatures are at their highest in recorded history. You'd see greenhouse climates and weather patterns in maximum overdrive. Melted ice caps raise sea levels, creating more water to evaporate into the atmosphere, which would then create more tropical climate conditions and more extreme rainfall/weather patterns. But this is something which would occur over months and years, not the single day that so many people seem to be focused on and caught up in.
Well, it looks like I am still going to have to plant my Grandma's flowers today. Sigh..... Worse, i'll have to suffer my awful Aunt and her horrible kids on Christmas.
Another failed doomsday prophecy; what a suprise. I wonder how many people are currently in thier doomsday bunkers atm? They'll probably all be in there for a few weeks and be like ground hogs when emerging. HAHAHAHA.
Well, here's your anwser, now go back to your lives.