The End of the World is coming. What are your plans?

[Shapley]

I'm looking forward to a nice peaceful end of the world. Some Vivaldi. A glass wine, a quiet dinner with the family. It'll be winter, of course (Dec. 21st), so a picnic is probably out of the question.

[shostakovich]

That reminds me of a comment about the imperturbable Robert J lurtsema, former host of NPR's Morning Pro Musica. Someone suggested that as he was going through the newspapers, if he were to find "The world is coming to an end in half an hour.", he would say, "That leaves us with just enough time for ---------"

Dec 21, eh? Is that this year or 2012? I don't want to be buying unnecessary Christmas presents.
Shos

[Shapley]

Oddly enough, I was just thinking about that during the drive home. I think I'll go ahead and buy Christmas presents that year. If the world, by some strange twist of fate, fails to end on that date I won't have to fight the crowd of last-minute gift buyers. When it does end, I won't really have saved anything by not spending the money. Since 'it's the thought that counts', having bought the presents will stand me in good stead with those for whom I bought them when we reach the fields of Elysium, even if the gifts themselves don't make the journey.

I usually try to buy all my gifts during the big Beethoven's Day sales, anyway.

But, for those of you that choose to put off buying because of the impending cataclysm, there'll still be three shopping days left if doomsday does get delayed.

[jamiebk]

12/21/2012...an odd date. Oh well. By then I will probably be broke from taxes and most of my investments will be worthless so I probably won't have any money for gifts. All that remains would be my family and I suppose we would gather and enjoy the can of beans that we will have saved for that "special occassion".

[dai bread]

The world really should end on 12/21/2112, so that gives us an extra century. For those who follow the British arrangement for dates, it's 21/12/2112, which is a bit tidier, but the same day anyway. See you in Elysium. (Cue LvB #9, 4th movement).

[barfle]

The world ended on December 31, 1971. Making plans for the second coming won't help a thing. If it does happen, it will catch me as much by surprise as it did the first time.

[Shapley]

The world ended on December 31, 1971. Making plans for the second coming won't help a thing. If it does happen, it will catch me as much by surprise as it did the first time.

Okay. I give up. What happened on December 31, 1971?

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

The world ended on December 31, 1971. Making plans for the second coming won't help a thing. If it does happen, it will catch me as much by surprise as it did the first time.

Okay. I give up. What happened on December 31, 1971?

If I recall correctly, a selection of nut jobs quit their jobs, put on white bathrobes, and walked up some mountain to Greet The Millenium. Or some such silliness.

Or maybe that was The Big One, where the continent cracks along the San Andreas Fault, and y'all slide off into the Atlantic.

It's hard to keep the End Of The World events separate, they all cite Nostradamus, or Revelations, or Aztecs or Egyptians - I get confused.

[barfle]

The world ended on December 31, 1971. Making plans for the second coming won't help a thing. If it does happen, it will catch me as much by surprise as it did the first time.

Okay. I give up. What happened on December 31, 1971?

Criminy, it was right there in front of you. The world ended.

[jamiebk]

Just had a little earthquake here in the Bay Area...between 4.3 and 4.6 located near Morgan Hill (San Jose Area). Our downtown SF office building (I'm on the 21st floor) rocked a bit and I heard a few creaks.http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quak ... 34037.html

[piqaboo]

If I have faith in the date, I'll probably keep Altoid home from school for selfish reasons.
She'd probably rather be there, playing with her friends.
She's quite confident of going to Heaven, so it wont worry her as much as it might. She'd be very excited at the thought of meeting Jesus, Mary, Isaac and a few others.

[Schmeelkie]

I was thinking it would be close enough to Christmas to be on school break, but looks like it'll be a Friday... Bella will have started Kindergarten (probably). Maybe we'll plan for a vacation and plan to take the kids out of school. And hey, so what if you've done your holiday shopping - it's not like you'll need the money where ever you're going... buy gifts anyway - it's the thought that counts, right?

Where did this information come from? Seem to remember seeing a special on Nostradamus many years ago. We were supposed to have had a nuclear war by now, I think....

[Shapley]

Where did this information come from?

It marks the end of the Mayan calendar. Also, on that date, the Sun rises in line with the 'equator' of the Milky Way. I believe this marks the first time that has happened in 26,000 years, give or take a century or two. The Mayans apparently placed a lot of importance on that particular alignment, as each time it occurs it marks the beginning of a new period. Supposedly, they trace the end of the dinosaurs to that alignment, as well. I don't read Mayan myself, so I have to take the word of the 'experts' on that.

[piqaboo]

I believe that a sacrifice will reboot the calendar.
Right at the minute of the end of the old cycle, a warrior has to die.
This can be a literal fighter/soldier or a woman in childbirth.

Not sure how this "information" came to be in my head....planted by alien gods perhaps.
Anyway, I cant vouch for its accuracy.

[Shapley]

When we were down in Mexico, touring the ruins, they told us they used to have sporting competitions, and the winner was sacrificed (the gods, apparently, would be offended if you sent them the losers). The games could go on for days, presumably because neither team seemed to want to score any points...

[jamiebk]

Anyone ever watch Apocalypto?

[Shapley]

Anyone ever watch Apocalypto?

I have had the DVD in my collection ever since it went on sale and have yet to watch it...

[barfle]

I believe that a sacrifice will reboot the calendar.
Right at the minute of the end of the old cycle, a warrior has to die.
This can be a literal fighter/soldier or a woman in childbirth.

Not sure how this "information" came to be in my head....planted by alien gods perhaps.
Anyway, I cant vouch for its accuracy.

Could it be a patent attorney? Someone from marketing?

[Schmeelkie]

Anyone see Madagascar 2? King Julian (the lemur) suggests that they sacrifice someone to the volcano to get the water back to the reserve's watering hole. An animal asks, "Does it work?", to which King Julian say, "No. I mean, yes. Maurice?" His friend Maurice responds, "Well...it's 50-50" - at which point they agree to do it. Just hilarious that the animals are so easily manipulated by King Julian.

Can we sacrifice a warmonger? Somebody who really thinks war is the answer (I'm thinking the leader or N. Korea or Iran, perhaps)....Saddam would have been a great pick, but alas, he's gone...

[jamiebk]

Shap is nominating Nancy Pelosi.