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- Written by: Dr. Tony Phillips
If you’re reading this story, it means one thing: The world didn’t end yesterday.
According to media reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, the world was supposed to be destroyed on Dec. 21, 2012.
Apparently not.
“The whole thing was a misconception from the very beginning,” said Dr. John Carlson, director of the Center for Archaeoastronomy. “The Maya calendar did not end on Dec. 21, 2012, and there were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on that date.”
The truth, says Carlson, is more interesting than fiction.
Carlson is a hard-nosed scientist – a radio astronomer who earned his degree studying distant galaxies.
He became interested in the 2012 phenomenon in the early 1970s when he attended a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and learned about the lost civilization of the Maya.
Where the rain forests of Mesoamerica now stand, a great civilization once flourished. The people of Maya society built vast cities, ornate temples, and towering pyramids.
At its peak around 800 A.D., the population numbered more than 2,000 people per square mile in the cities – comparable to modern Los Angeles County.
The Maya mastered astronomy, developed an elaborate written language, and left behind exquisite artifacts.
Most compelling to Carlson was the Maya’s expansive sense of time. “The times Mayas used dwarf any time scales currently used by modern astronomers,” he explained. “According to our science, the Big Bang occurred 13.7 billion years ago. There are dates and time references in Mayan ruins that stretch back a billion billion times farther than that.”
The Maya Long Count Calendar was designed to keep track of such long intervals. “It is the most complex calendar system ever developed by people anywhere,” he said.
Written using modern typography, the Long Count Calendar resembles the odometer in a car. It’s a modified base-20 system in which rotating digits represent powers of 20 days.
Because the digits rotate, the calendar can “roll over” and repeat itself; this repetition is key to the 2012 phenomenon.
What caused the fall of the Maya? Using NASA data, one archaeologist believes he has found the answer.
According to Maya theology, the world was created 5,125 years ago, on a date modern people would write “August 11, 3114 BC.” At the time, the Maya calendar looked like this: 13.0.0.0.0.
On Dec. 21, 2012, it is exactly the same: 13.0.0.0.0.
In the language of Maya scholars, 13 Bak’tuns or 13 times 144,000 days elapsed between the two dates. This was a significant interval in Maya theology, but, stresses Carlson, not a destructive one. None of the thousands of ruins, tablets, and standing stones that archaeologists have examined foretell an end of the world.
Modern science agrees. NASA experts recently gathered in a Google hangout to review their own findings with the public.
Don Yeomans, head of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program, stated that no known asteroids or comets are on a collision course with Earth.
Neither is a rogue planet coming to destroy us. “If there were anything out there like a planet headed for Earth,” said NASA astrobiologist David Morrison, “it would already be [one of the] brightest objects in the sky. Everybody on Earth could see it. You don’t need to ask the government, just go out and look. It’s not there.”
Lika Guhathakurta, head of NASA’s Living with a Star Program, says the sun is not a threat, either.
“The sun has been flaring for billions of years--long before the Maya even existed--and it has never once destroyed the world,” she said.
“Right now the sun is approaching the maximum of its 11-year activity cycle,” she added, “but this is the wimpiest solar cycle of the past 50 years. Reports to the contrary are exaggerated.”
What would an ancient Maya think about all this hoopla? Carlson believes he knows the answer.
“If we could time warp a Maya to the present day, they would say that Dec. 21, 2012, is a very important date,” he explained. “Many Maya believed that their gods who created the world 5,125 years ago would return. One of them in particular, an enigmatic deity named Bolon Yokte’ K’uh, would conduct old rites of passage, to set space and time in order, and to regenerate the cosmos.”
The world would be refreshed, not destroyed.
“I have been waiting to experience this day for more than 30 years,” he said.
For him, “experiencing Dec. 21, 2012” means visiting the Maya homeland in the Yucatan, and thinking back to the height of Maya civilization, when ancient humans contemplated expanses of time orders of magnitude beyond modern horizons.
And, of course, appreciating the fact that the world didn’t end yesterday.
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Winter driving on roads and highways in the snow-capped mountains of California can be a pleasant adventure – or it can be frustrating, tiring and sometimes even hazardous.
The Clear Lake Area California Highway Patrol provides the following information to help make your mountain driving safe and pleasant.
The CHP wishes everyone a safe a happy holiday season. They also remind everyone to buckle up, slow down and if you drink please designate a sober driver.
Before heading for snow country:
- Make sure your brakes, windshield wipers, defroster, heater and exhaust system are in top condition.
- Check your antifreeze and be ready for colder temperatures. You may want to add special solvent to your windshield washer reservoir to prevent icing.
- Check your tires. Make sure they are properly inflated and the tread is in good condition.
- Always carry chains. Make sure they are the proper size for your tires and are in working order. Carry a flashlight and chain repair links. Chains must be installed on the drive wheels. Make sure you know if your vehicle is front or rear wheel drive.
- Other suggested items to carry in your car are an ice scraper or commercial deicer, a broom for brushing snow off your car, a shovel to free your car if it’s “snowed in,” sand or burlap for traction if your wheels should become mired in snow; and an old towel to clean your hands.
- It is also a good idea to take along water, food, warm blankets, hats, gloves, and extra clothing. A lengthy delay will make you glad you have them.
- Put an extra car key in your pocket. A number of motorists have locked themselves out of their cars when putting on chains and at ski areas.
- Allow enough time. Trips to the mountains can take longer during winter than other times of year, especially if you encounter storm conditions or icy roads. Get an early start and allow plenty of time to reach your destination.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Commercial Dungeness crab fishing season north of Sonoma County will be delayed for a third time, but will finally open on Jan.15, the Department of Fish and Game reported.
New test results from the fishing grounds show that crab from Mendocino County and north have still not developed enough meat for harvest.
“Another round of pre-season quality tests revealed that crab from the Trinidad area are not yet mature and won’t be ready for harvest by the delayed opening date of Dec. 31,” said DFG Environmental Scientist Christy Juhasz. “However, these crab are projected to meet the quality standard by Jan. 15 and so the season will open then.”
The season was originally set to open on Dec. 1, but quality tests have shown the crabs have less than 25 percent of their body weight as meat. At least 25 percent is ideal for harvest.
The Dungeness crab season from Sonoma County south does not fall under the same restrictions. That season opened on Nov. 15.
Regulations allow for delays off California’s northern coast if Dungeness crabs have soft shells or are of poor quality.
The delays may not extend past Jan. 15, so the season will definitely open by that date, the Department of Fish and Game said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris announced that the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, a landmark package of legislation that extends key mortgage and foreclosure protections to California homeowners and borrowers, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2013.
The new laws restrict dual-track foreclosures, guarantee struggling homeowners a reliable point of contact at their lender and impose civil penalties on fraudulently signed mortgage documents. In addition, homeowners may require loan servicers to document their right to foreclose.
“For too long, struggling homeowners in California have been denied fairness and transparency when dealing with their lending institutions,” said Attorney General Harris. “These laws give homeowners new rights as they work through the foreclosure process and will give Californians a fair opportunity to stay in their homes.”
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the California Homeowner Bill of Rights into law to bring fairness, accountability and transparency to the state’s foreclosure process.
As a result:
- There is a restriction on dual-track foreclosures, where a lender forecloses on a borrower despite being in discussions over a loan modification to save the home.
- Struggling homeowners are guaranteed lenders will provide them a single point of contact with knowledge of their loan and direct access to the banks’ decision makers.
- The statute of limitations to prosecute mortgage-related crimes is extended from one to three years, allowing the Attorney General’s office to investigate and prosecute complex mortgage fraud crimes.
- The Attorney General’s office can use statewide grand juries to investigate and indict the perpetrators of financial crimes involving victims in multiple counties.
- Purchasers of foreclosed homes are required to give tenants at least 90 days before starting eviction proceedings. If the tenant has a fixed-term lease of one year or less, the new owner must honor the lease unless the owner can prove that exceptions intended to prevent fraudulent leases apply.
- Local governments have additional tools to fight blight caused by multiple vacant homes in their neighborhoods.
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights marks a significant step in Attorney General Harris’ response to the state’s foreclosure and mortgage crisis.
The Mortgage Fraud Strike Force was created in May 2011 to investigate and prosecute misconduct at all stages of the mortgage process.
In February 2012, Attorney General Harris secured a commitment from the nation’s five largest banks of up to $18 billion for California borrowers.