Tag: mayan calendar

Posted in Freedom Friday

Freedom Friday

Posted on by Jack Flacco
End of days? Will the world keep spinning after the Maya Calendar ends? Most likely!
End of days? Will the world keep spinning after the Maya Calendar ends? Most likely!

Here we are, Freedom Friday. I’ve set aside Fridays as the day when I can let loose and be free. That’s right. Sort of like a merry-go-round without the weird and wonderful music. I get to tell you about the stuff I’ve gleaned this week from my charming world of observation.

This week? Well, if you’ve read my Monday Mayhem post I wrote, you’re already in the know. You did read it, right? If not, go ahead and read it. I’ll wait…

Oh, you’re done? Okay. So here’s the deal—today’s December 21, 2012. Yup. And you know what that means. It’s D-Day according to the Mayan Calendar. Ah-ha! I got your attention! I thought you had read it?

As I was saying, today is the End of the World. I have the date marked in my Outlook, so it must be true. It’s the day when the Mayan calendar ends. Uh-huh. Ceases to exist. Dies. Kaput. Splat.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Now, under any other circumstance, a day such as today means—well, absolutely nothing. But not today. Did you know NASA’s gotten involved with unraveling this whole dilemma? They have a site dedicated to answering common questions of why the world won’t end on December 21, 2012—TODAY.

Imagine that. NASA. This’s got to be big if NASA’s involved!

When browsing their site, I’ve encountered questions such as:

  • Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Many Internet websites say the world will end in December 2012.
  • What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?
  • Is NASA predicting a “total blackout” of Earth on Dec. 23 to Dec. 25?
  • Could planets align in a way that impacts Earth?
  • Is there a planet or brown dwarf called Nibiru or Planet X or Eris that is approaching the Earth and threatening our planet with widespread destruction?
  • What is the polar shift theory? Is it true that the Earth’s crust does a 180-degree rotation around the core in a matter of days if not hours?
  • Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor in 2012?
A Leonid meteor, or a shooting star seen in the 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower.
A Leonid meteor, or a shooting star seen in the 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower.

Fascinating stuff. I wouldn’t have thought this being an issue. After all, we live in an enlightened age. An age where we can carry our whole media library in the palm of our hands (ie. iPods, iPads, Nexus 7 & 10’s, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 & 10.1’s, etc.). Who would think a meteor could scream to earth and wipe us from existence? Not me. Not a chance.

Thomas Nast's most famous drawing, "Merry Old Santa Claus", from the January 1, 1881 edition of Harper's Weekly.
Thomas Nast’s most famous drawing, “Merry Old Santa Claus”, from the January 1, 1881 edition of Harper’s Weekly.

But, I have to admit, it is a rather entertaining read when compared to the whole Santa Clause is not real controversy. Oops, did I say that out loud? Forget I said that. No one’s the wiser. Just in case though, if I don’t show up on Monday then you’ll know a massive chunk of the universe leveled my home…and anything within a few thousand miles radius.

Did you know what today is? Do you have any plans to celebrate the End of the World? What are your thoughts about NASA’s involvement with the Mayan end-of-days? I’d really love to know.

Posted in Monday Mayhem

Monday Mayhem

Posted on by Jack Flacco

I Am LegendWelcome to Monday Mayhem. This is when I delve into the post-apocalyptic madness called the Zombie Apocalypse (a.k.a “The Future”), and give you my take on what life would be like if we as a human race would allow it to happen. Yes, for some of us it may be fictional, but for others…it’s already a reality. Have you been to Las Vegas lately?

In the movie I Am Legend, Will Smith’s character Robert Neville lives alone in a deserted city to fend for a cure to the dratted virus that annihilated humanity. If you haven’t seen the movie, I’d suggest you stop reading ‘cause I may throw in a spoiler or two.

From this point on.

Now.

*spoiler alert!!!*

The thing about the virus that consumed humanity is that scientists engineered it to cure cancer. Yeah, that’s somewhat credible to happen today. No really. In the movie, scientists believed that if they could unleash a biological weapon to destroy cancer cells, they could allow the body to repair itself, eliminating the uncertainty that is happening with today’s methods—and the costs. Unfortunately, it pretty much wipes out all humanity and leaves those who survived, famished zombies.

What I found interesting in the film is when everything falls apart in New York City— why is it New York City always takes the brunt of these end-of-days movie scenarios? (ie. Godzilla, Independence Day, etc.)—the military goes ahead and destroys all the bridges to the island to prevent the infected from escaping. If anyone’s seen The Dark Knight Rises, Bane uses the police to execute a similar strategy to contain the population in Gotham City. Now, this approach as logical as it may seem credible, doesn’t prevent the spread, since the virus crests to become airborne. Once this happens, to put in a cliché, all bets are off.

Thus the creation of the zombies, or rather, the Dark Seekers. Here is a quote from the movie to put the statistics into perspective:

“Seven billion people on Earth when the infection hit. KV had a 90% kill rate, that’s 5.4 billion people dead. Crashed and bled out. Dead. Less than 1% immunity. That left 12 million healthy people, like you, me, and Ethan. The other 588 million turned into your Dark Seekers. And then they got hungry, and they killed and fed on everybody. Everybody!”

*end of spoiler alert*

Yup, quite a future.

East side of stela C, QuiriguaWell, this coming Friday, December 21, 2012, the Mayan calendar ends. Some have gone so far as to say it will be the end of the world. I actually have it written in my Outlook as an event—End of the World. Heck, I don’t want to miss it if it’s going to happen. No way. I’m just wondering how it will happen.

Will it be a virus? Maybe an invasion from another planet. Or perhaps a Great Tribulation as forecasted in the bible.

No one knows. But you can be sure of one thing: If we’re still around next Monday, I’ll bring you another installment of Monday Mayhem. That is, if the internet is still up and running…

What do you think? Do you think humanity is on the road to a Dark Seeker invasion? Or will it be business as usual this coming Friday? I’d love to hear your thoughts.