YOWUSA (formerly the Millennium Group, responsible for much of the Hale-Bopp hysteria) say Niburu is coming, but not just yet. Actually includes some surprisingly intelligent discussion of why a 2003 flyby is unreasonable.

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

Yahbut, they think they may have detected a gravity wave...

The link has some interesting stuff to say, however...who the hell are these people??? More questions than answers there.

1- Has our sun or has our sun not previously had unusually lengthy -or short- cycles? Is there anything unique and absolutely heretofore unheard of about the present cycle? (Just curious. I'm by no means taking sides with these folks!)

2- Why is it that in certain circles there is so much emphasis placed on the Mayan calendar? So one era of said calendar comes to a close in 2012 and a new one begins. So what? What is so damned significant about their calendar?! I'd really love to know. Why theirs and not, say, the Chinese? Or the Jewish? Or etc.?

3- What's this about the "USGS underreporting earthquake and volcanic activity"? (Think I read that in there...somewhere...) So is the USGS doing this in concert with every other such organization on the planet? That seemed to be the implication. Personally I would be disturbed if the planet ever ceased to experience such activity altogether or had a drastic decline in such. I mean, the planet is -pardon the 'New Age'-ishness of this- alive. And thank God it is. If it weren't, we wouldn't be in any better shape.

4- Did I mention "who the hell are these people in the first place?"

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Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it that a new one does not begin? That is, it indicates the end of time, a disaster of some sort?

Or maybe I don't understand those guys.

Why is it that in certain circles there is so much emphasis placed on the Mayan calendar? So one era of said calendar comes to a close in 2012 and a new one begins. So what? What is so damned significant about their calendar?! I'd really love to know. Why theirs and not, say, the Chinese? Or the Jewish? Or etc.?

Good question.

The Mayan calendar ends when the sun conjuncts with the Tree of Life (the galactic plane and the ecliptic). This signals the end of an era (but not necessarilty the world).

However, the Hidu calendar says the avatar of Krishna will arrive in 2003, preceeded by many calamaties and disasters and "strange happenings," indicating the beginning of the Age of Dharma (Righteousness).

Bede the Venerable calculated the end of the world in 2058, 6000 years after the Creation (based on the birth of Jesus in 3942 AC).

Sufi Muslims look for the end in 2076 (their year 1500).

The Jewish calendar marks 2240 as the end, 6000 years after the Creation by their calculations.

I think so much signifigance is given the Mayan calendar because it makes some amazingly accurate astronomical predictions. They seemed to understand, f'rinstance, the concept of precession and accounted for it in their calendar. Thus, the end of the era on December 21, 2012... the winter solstice.

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Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by ignorance or stupidity.
Isaac Asimov

Actually, it has to do with a prophesy the Mayans had concerning their baseline date. According to their prophesy, 13 baktuns after the "Birth of Venus" (baseline for the Mayan calendar) the world is supposed to end catastrophically.

The Mayans based their calendar on a long date. And I have a source which claims the Discovery channel report is BS. The only thing that happens in 2012 is that according to the calendar, we start a new baktun (a period of 394.3 years and the first digit in the mayan calendar) The calendar would actually roll over some 3,000 years from now as there is supposed to be 20 baktuns before going adding another date indicator onto the front. Since the Mayan civilization flourished during baktun 9 (435 to 830 CE) and collapsed during baktun 10, they would have used only those significant digits of their long date. The Mayans first mention of themselves as a civilization starts at baktun 7.

The long date appears to be the number of days using a conglomeration of date divisions from a fixed starting point. (Gregorian calendar assumes 1 Jan, 1 CE as baseline. The Mayan calendar was using 11 Aug, 3114 BCE as a baseline.)

We are currently in baktun 12. We have 8 more baktuns until a new division would have to be used. (Since thats about 3,000 years from now, I don't think I'll worry about it.)

The Long dates were broken down into baktun, Katun, Tun, Uinal, and Kin

Kin was one day
Uinals contained 20 Kin
Tuns contained 18 Unials
Katuns contained 20 Tuns
Baktuns contained 20 Katuns

To this was added to two other inter-year date classifications called Haab date and Tzolkin date.

http://www.sacred-texts.com/time/cal/mayacal.htm

Other names of time spans are Pictun, Calabtun, Kinchiltun, Alautun, and Hablatun.

Pictuns consist of 20 Baktuns (about 7885 years)
Calabtuns consist of 20 Pictuns (about 158,000 years)
Kinchiltuns consist of 20 Calabtuns (about 3 million years)
Alautuns consist of 20 Kinchiltuns (about 63 million years)
Hablatuns consist of 20 Alautuns (about 1.28 billion years)

The date for today is baktun 12, katun 19, tun 9, uinal 16 kin 3. Mayans numbered everything starting from 0, so kins in a uinal go 0, 1, 2, etc. Todays date would be expressed as 12.19.9.16.3. Mayans dropped off leading zeroes (as mathematicans do with leading zeroes.). The whole date would have been 0.0.0.0.0.12.19.9.16.3.

So, the beginning of the new Pictun is 14 October, 4772. December 22, 2012 would be expressed as 13.0.0.0.0.

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Valiant Dancer

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Valiant Dancer on 2003-01-06 12:46 ]</font>

GRAPES OF WRATH: That's part of the whole thing is that I have actually heard it both ways. I've heard some experts on Mayan civilization (bearing in mind a plus or minus in overall credibility for some) state unequivocally that the Mayan calendar grinds to a complete and permanent halt late in 2012. I've also heard others state just as vigorously that it's merely the closing of a particular cycle and nothing more, and that there's still much to come on said calendar. It becomes a question of "who to believe?" Considering the certainty with which I've heard both points of view stated, I rather gave up and shrugged my shoulders about the matter. So, yes, there's certainly a camp who believes the calendar (and/or the universe as we know it or not or whatever) ends altogether in 2012.

JIM & VALIANT DANCER: Thanks for the input on the specifics of the Mayan calendar (among others!). Interesting stuff! It has answered my question about why the importance placed on it. That doesn't necessarily mean that I understand the obsession of some with the 2012 date as such, but I do sort of get the reason for it. If that made sense...

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Who is the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows?

Isn't HUb' really into the Mayan calendar? Where is he when you need him?

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

Look at that MAYAN KATON WHEEL
http://www.lambdoma.com/Page3-05.html
and read the text to it.

I would expect that Sunday October 22nd, 2282 will be another date of agnst. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

In Mayan it will be 13.13.13.13.13. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Kizarvexis
http://www.pauahtun.org/tools.html

[/quote]

In Mayan it will be 13.13.13.13.13.

Kizarvexis

http://www.pauahtun.org/tools.html
[/quote]

Interesting site. From what I know of ancient civilization 13 is a lucky number, so how you interpret that date?