Are you surprised to still be here?
Happy 13.0.0.0.0! Are you surprised to still be here? The Maya, who were consummate astronomers and constructors of calendars, made what is known as the "long count" calendar which runs for a period of 5,125 years and then resets. This period of time is further divided into 13 Baktuns . (A Baktun lasts approximately 394 years.) Today is the day, 13.0.0.0.0, that those 5,125 years and 13 Baktuns end and the calendar resets. The Maya with their advanced civilization and culture maintain a somewhat mystical hold over the imaginations of many people - including, I admit, me - and that accounts, I think, for why this date has received such hyped attention and has been looked forward to for many months now by some with a mixture of excitement and dread. In addition, there are those who are simply fascinated with the idea of an apocalypse and seem to spend their lives looking for it and looking for signs of its coming. Naturally, they would grab hold of the date of the end of May...