World Still Here

From the BBC:
"'Mayan day of apocalypse' arrives"

Thousands of people have gathered at ancient sites in Central America and elsewhere in anticipation of what they believe will be the end of the world. The date - 21 December 2012 - is, some believe, the end of the "long count" calendar of the Mayan civilisation. In China, police have arrested hundreds of members of a Christian group who apparently believe the prophecy. Last year, experts said a new reading of the calendar showed that it did not in fact predict the apocalypse. Many believe the date instead marks the start of a new era in the calendar.

Maya 'Long Count' calendar

• Calendar begins in year corresponding to 3114BC
• Moves forward in 394-year periods known as Baktuns
• Winter solstice in 2012 marks end of the 13th Baktun
• Myth of end of the world based on erroneous reading of Mayan tablet carved 1,300 years ago
• Archaeologists and Maya experts say text refers to start of a new era

Among the believers of the "apocalypse" themselves, there are different accounts as to when exactly the world should end. Some said it would end at midnight on Thursday, while others gave the deadline of just after 11:00 GMT on Friday. Both predictions have failed to materialise. Another group of followers said they were waiting for Friday's dawn, but that has also come and gone.  The misconception about the "prophecy" is not the only myth circulating about the Maya, the BBC's Will Grant in Mexico reports.  Many believe they were wiped out shortly after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th Century, our correspondent says.  But, in fact, the descendants of the people who built Chichen Itza, a Unesco World Heritage Site, are still here.  They are the second-largest ethnic group in Mexico, with between 800,000 and a million native Mayan speakers.  The ancient Maya flourished in modern-day Mexico and parts of Central America between 250 and 900AD. One spot thought by some to be destined to escape the end of the world is the mountain of Bugarach in southern France. However, those preparing for the end of the world were reported to be far outnumbered by journalists.  The Turkish town of Sirince, another site reputed to be safe from the end of the world, saw similar scenes on Thursday. Hundreds of reporters were wandering around the town of 570 residents, AFP news agency reported. However, hotels around the Rtanj mountain in Serbia, a site rumoured to have magical powers, were booked out for the big date.

^ I wouldn't want to be one of those people that actually thought the world was going to end today otherwise I would be having a bad day right now. The only thing that happened here was snow that I had to clear this morning - while a lot of work it isn't the end of the world. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20803579