I agree, but that's just it, the Mayans did not have the technology we do today.
But even this "elder" doesn't believe that the world is going to end, all this 2012 nonsense is taken from that, I think this can easily clarify some of the situation(or so I believe)

Oh, he also claims that we will pass through a "Dark-rift" for about 60-70 hours, and doesn't know the out-come this is going to have on earth..

Now, as far as I can tell, there is no "Dark-rift" that is in the path of the earths orbit around the sun. Around then.(Agreeing with Maksutov, this guy is not a top-notch Astronomer.)