The History Channel recently re-aired its notorious ‘Armageddon’ series. You should be aware that it and the videos advertising it perpetrate numerous factual howlers and misleading insinuations. Please see below for details:
Videos
2012: The Masons
2012: The End of Time?
2012: Egypt
2012: The Sun
2012: The Hopi
The End of the World
Films
Countdown to Armageddon
Seven Signs of the Apocalypse
Ancient Aliens: The Doomsday Prophecies
The Mayan ConspiracyCountdown to 12/21/12: Maya Messengers
Countdown to 12/21/12: Nostradamus
After Armageddon
Doomsday 2012: The End of Days
Mayan Doomsday Prophecy
Apocalypse Island
(a) The Videos
2012: The Masons: The Masons have been linked to many of history's greatest movements, but what do they think of the 2012 debate?
Among the dubious statements made by the video are: ‘The Renaissance could never have happened if it not been for the construction of the Gothic cathedrals' [that may have been true for the founding of the Masons, but the Renaissance was based on ancient Greek and Roman models, not medieval European ones such as the Masons]… … ‘it appears that they are watching this galactic alignment cycle which happens once every 26,000 years' [if they are, they could be watching for a long time, since the supposed alignment currently happens EVERY YEAR – see the link in the RH column -->]…‘2012 could be the year mankind faces a cosmic challenge to change its ways and its destiny’ [but then, so could any year!]
2012: The End of Time? Why do some people [and who might they be?] believe the world might end in 2012?
‘In the year 2012, from the earth’s perspective, the sun will align with the centre of the Milky Way galaxy, in an incredibly rare astronomical phenomenon that occurs only once every 26,000 years' [in fact, as any competent astronomer will tell you, it currently occurs EVERY YEAR]… ‘The Mayan astronomers, known for their accuracy, chose December 21st, 2012 to end their famous Long Count calendar' [no, they didn’t]… ‘all of [the world’s ancient religions] say that we are going through a great change' [no, they don’t]…
In case you're interested, the true Mayan date for the end of the current world appears to be around 7,492,874,685,059,302,055,607,299 AD!
In case you're interested, the true Mayan date for the end of the current world appears to be around 7,492,874,685,059,302,055,607,299 AD!
2012: Egypt: What did Ancient Egyptians believe about the fate of the world and 2012?
‘The ancient Egyptians believed that the stars and planets hold the keys to unlocking knowledge of the future and the fate of the world' [I know of no reputable evidence for this]’… ‘[Giza] was built as a reminder of some kind of celestial disaster' [this, similarly, is news to me]… '[The Dendera zodiac] is believed [by whom?] to contain an allusion to the very place in the sky where the galactic alignment is to occur in the year 2012’ [if it does, it’s pointing to where it happens every year -- and in any case the artefact is Greco-Roman rather than ancient Egyptian, dating from only 50 BC]
2012: The Sun: Could violent solar activity, predicted by some [who?] for the year 2012, end life on Earth?
'The sun is going to increase in its activity’ [it does this quite regularly, but current scientific models in fact predict that the solar maximum of 2013 (not 2012) will be an unusually weak one]
2012: The Hopi: The Hopi people saw a silver lining in the end of the world.
… ‘the Hopi also believe that a cataclysm is coming’… [except that there is absolutely no actual evidence of any such impending cataclysm, and there are even doubts about the source of the Hopi's beliefs]
The End of the World: Is December 21st, 2012 the end of the world?
‘The Maya determined the world would experience a catastrophic end on December 21st 2012 [no, they didn’t]. This is the exact date the Mayan calendar stops [no, it emphatically isn’t -- indeed, one of the Mayan King Pacal's inscriptions confidently anticipates a date as late as AD 4772].… On the Winter solstice 2012, the sun will be aligned with the centre of the Milky Way – something that hasn’t happened in nearly 26,000 years' [on the contrary, it currently happens every year -- see RH column -->]… No-one knows exactly what happened to the mighty Maya [yes, we do – they’re still around]'…
If this video reflects the actual film, it has to be almost uniquely incompetent and misleading, given that its alarmist end-of-the-world conjectures are clearly completely baseless.
(b) The films
Countdown to Armageddon
'Asteroids on a collision course with Earth,' says the blurb, 'super volcanoes, global warming, killer viruses -- all are potential catastrophes that threaten to wipe out life on our planet. Are these simply natural disasters that have been occurring since time immemorial? Or are these threats terrifying prophesies from the Bible that are at last coming true? Are our fears overblown? Or are the infamous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding among us in a countdown to Armageddon?'
Despite the impartial impression, the film seems to have made up its mind on the matter. True, it does feature a few actual scholars and so, from a historical angle at least, is fairly factual – apart, of course, from the Channel's usual nonsense about the Maya and their calendar. The trouble comes when it starts to give inordinate publicity to kooky modern superstitions, whether religious or otherwise -- even though, to be fair, it makes it clear that they are only the views of certain religious groups. One of these ideas is the unbiblical medieval idea of 'the Antichrist' (as far as the Bible is concerned, an antichrist is simply anyone who denies Christ -- and, as it says in the course of its only four mentions of the term [none of them, curiously enough, in the Book of Revelation!] there were plenty of those around at the time!). Another is John Nelson Darby's equally unbiblical 19th-century suggestion (hugely popular among Americans) that the faithful will be magically whisked up into heaven at the end of time (i.e. any day now!) in what is known as 'the Rapture', leaving the rest of nasty, unclean humanity behind. But when it then goes on to anticipate, apparently with some gusto, all the possible world disaster scenarios as 'signs of the end' , too – asteroidal impacts, super-volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, war, disease, global warming, global cooling, floods, drought, famine – the cumulative effect is, of course quite overwhelming, It is almost as if all these phenomena were (a) unusual and (b) apocalyptically significant (as, inevitably, is claimed by ‘some people’). Thus, when the film's religious contributors arbitrarily go on to link all this to the re-founding of Israel in 1948 and a claimed plot to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple on the site of the Muslim Dome of the Rock to 'make it all happen' (by magic, presumably?), they inevitably see big trouble immediately ahead, almost as though this were the final clincher. In other words (but for the film's one or two not-very-prominent sane voices) we are DOOMED...
Seven Signs of the Apocalypse
This old film is being run by History UK as part of its 'Armageddon Week', which runs from Monday 14 to Friday 18 December. The Seven Signs are clear [states their blurb]: We will be struck by deadly plagues, famines and earthquakes; The sky will turn dark and oceans will turn to blood; And the antichrist will emerge to fight the final battle between good and evil. Could this all be true?
Experts [it goes on -- would that be real ones, or merely highly selected pseudo-scientific nutters?] decode this powerful prophecy [Is it really a 'prophecy'? My copy of the text, written nearly 2000 years ago, says that these things must 'shortly come to pass' -- so just how shortly is 'shortly' supposed to be?] and come to a startling conclusion: there is now scientific evidence that many of these catastrophes could, in fact, be occurring [just as they always have, in fact!]. A star falling from the sky could be one of thousands of rogue asteroids that may be approaching earth. The plague foretold in the Bible could be a deadly strain of avian virus that researchers fear could kill millions. Oceans turning blood red could be triggered by microorganisms that release dangerous neurotoxins that have the same effect as nerve gas [and it could be that they are nothing of the kind, and that the supposed 'prophecy' will be recognised as the highly symbolic piece of anti-Roman propaganda that it actually is historically, rather than as the crass factual prediction that biblical nutters so like to claim!!] To reveal the ultimate truth behind the prophecy [isn't the word 'truth' rather begging the question?], this investigation will turn to the past to reveal why the prophecy was written, and why it maintains such a powerful hold on our imagination today.
[“Seven Signs of the Apocalypse,” The British History Channel website, http://www.history.co.uk/ (accessed Dec.6, 2012).
It is to be hoped, then, that it will be a good deal more factual than much that passes for 'investigation' where the History Channel is concerned!
The US History Channel is due to run the same film on 20 December. Its blurb runs:
The Book of Revelation, the most terrifying and controversial book of the Bible, was written by an exiled prophet almost two thousand years ago. The final chapters of the New Testament describe mankind's violent end of days--a seven-year period of unparalleled death and destruction. Jesus breaks seven seals that unleash three waves of devastation--natural and man-made, from the sky and from deep within the earth. The Antichrist will rise [in fact the Book of Revelation never mentions the word 'Antichrist', let alone the Antichrist, which is a late, medieval concept, not a biblical one]. Pestilence, famine, war, and natural disasters will purge humanity before Jesus returns for the final battle between good and evil. But who is the Antichrist? [not any individual in the Bible, certainly!] Who will survive God's wrath? [not anybody who tells fibs about it, presumably! ;)] And when will this apocalypse happen? [written nearly 2000 years ago, the text itself says 'soon' (!!), so it can hardly be considered reliable where timing is concerned, can it?!]
[“Secrets of the Seven Seals,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/nostradamus-effect/episodes/episode-guide (accessed Dec 6, 2012)]
After
Armageddon
This film describes its alarmist post-apocalyptic montage as a 'theoretical worst case scenario'. In fact most of it is the purest fictional disaster movie, rather along the lines of a whole range of films from The Tryffids to The Road, interlarded with a range of historical reports from known disasters -- medical, financial, logistical, meteorological, nutritional -- in an apparent effort to make it seem more real. Guaranteed to encourage the worst kind of American paranoia!
Doomsday 2012: The End of Days
There are prophecies and oracles from around the world that all seem to point to December 21, 2012 as doomsday, says the blurb [really? all of them?!]. The ancient Mayan Calendar, the medieval predictions of Merlin, the Book of Revelation and the Chinese oracle of the I Ching all point to this specific date as the end of civilization [they do nothing of the kind, unless you want them to!]. A new technology called "The Web-Bot Project" makes massive scans of the internet as a means of forecasting the future... and has turned up the same dreaded date: 2012 [I wonder why? Not, surely, because the History Channel and the works of John Major Jenkins have constantly brought it to people's consciousness?!]. Skeptics point to a long history of "Failed Doomsdays", but many [?] oracles of doom throughout history have a disturbingly accurate track record [really, or only with the benefit of wishful hindsight?]. As the year 2012 ticks ever closer we'll speculate [yes, 'speculation' is certainly the word!] if there are any reasons to believe these doomsayers. In fact the producers devote the film to raking up [albeit with suitable disclaimers!] all the 'evidence' they possibly can to support this preposterous proposition -- be it pseudo-historical, pseudo-mythological, pseudo-religious, pseudo-prophetic or pseudo-scientific. In the process, they completely misunderstand not only the Mayan calendar (which doesn't end in December 2012), but the supposedly rare 'galactic alignment' of December 2012 (which isn't as accurate as often claimed, and currently happens every year!) and the nature of magnetic pole-shift, too (which happens all the time). Even John Major Jenkins, the arch '2012ologist', has apparently described the film as '45 minutes of unabashed doomsday hype and the worst kind of inane sensationalism'.
Mayan Doomsday Prophecy
The Channel's blurb states: The world is coming to an end on December 21, 2012! The ancient Maya made this stunning prediction more than 2,000 years ago [no, they didn't!] We'll peel back the layers of mystery [it goes on] and examine in detail how the Maya calculated the exact date of doomsday [that would be rather clever, given that they didn't]. Journey back to the ancient city of Chichen Itza, the hub of Maya civilization [well, only latterly, in the 9th century of our era, because most of the other centers had died out by then!] deep in the heart of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula , to uncover the truth about this prophecy [that'll be the day!]. The Maya were legendary astronomers and timekeepers--their calendar is more accurate than our own [no, it isn't]. By tracking the stars and planets they assigned great meaning to astronomical phenomena and made extraordinary predictions based on them [really?]--many of which have come true [which, and in whose opinion?]. Could their doomsday prophecy [the one they didn't make, you mean?] be one of them? In insightful interviews [pseudo-?] archaeologists, astrologers, and historians speculate on the meaning of the 2012 prophecy [the one that 20th-century commentators have made up, you mean?]. Their answers are as intriguing as the questions [I don't doubt they are!].
Apocalypse Island
Does a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean hold the final clue to the Mayan's apocalypt[ic prophecies]? the blurb apparently asks. Since the Maya didn't make any apocalyptic prophecies, the island would have to be pretty remote -- and in fact the film's premises are entirely fictional.
For further details, please see under The Nostradamus Effect (clink on link in the RH column -->).
If this video reflects the actual film, it has to be almost uniquely incompetent and misleading, given that its alarmist end-of-the-world conjectures are clearly completely baseless.
(b) The films
Countdown to Armageddon
'Asteroids on a collision course with Earth,' says the blurb, 'super volcanoes, global warming, killer viruses -- all are potential catastrophes that threaten to wipe out life on our planet. Are these simply natural disasters that have been occurring since time immemorial? Or are these threats terrifying prophesies from the Bible that are at last coming true? Are our fears overblown? Or are the infamous Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse riding among us in a countdown to Armageddon?'
[“Countdown to Armageddon,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/armageddon/rss (accessed Oct.23, 2012).]
Seven Signs of the Apocalypse
This old film is being run by History UK as part of its 'Armageddon Week', which runs from Monday 14 to Friday 18 December. The Seven Signs are clear [states their blurb]: We will be struck by deadly plagues, famines and earthquakes; The sky will turn dark and oceans will turn to blood; And the antichrist will emerge to fight the final battle between good and evil. Could this all be true?
Experts [it goes on -- would that be real ones, or merely highly selected pseudo-scientific nutters?] decode this powerful prophecy [Is it really a 'prophecy'? My copy of the text, written nearly 2000 years ago, says that these things must 'shortly come to pass' -- so just how shortly is 'shortly' supposed to be?] and come to a startling conclusion: there is now scientific evidence that many of these catastrophes could, in fact, be occurring [just as they always have, in fact!]. A star falling from the sky could be one of thousands of rogue asteroids that may be approaching earth. The plague foretold in the Bible could be a deadly strain of avian virus that researchers fear could kill millions. Oceans turning blood red could be triggered by microorganisms that release dangerous neurotoxins that have the same effect as nerve gas [and it could be that they are nothing of the kind, and that the supposed 'prophecy' will be recognised as the highly symbolic piece of anti-Roman propaganda that it actually is historically, rather than as the crass factual prediction that biblical nutters so like to claim!!] To reveal the ultimate truth behind the prophecy [isn't the word 'truth' rather begging the question?], this investigation will turn to the past to reveal why the prophecy was written, and why it maintains such a powerful hold on our imagination today.
[“Seven Signs of the Apocalypse,” The British History Channel website, http://www.history.co.uk/ (accessed Dec.6, 2012).
It is to be hoped, then, that it will be a good deal more factual than much that passes for 'investigation' where the History Channel is concerned!
The US History Channel is due to run the same film on 20 December. Its blurb runs:
The Book of Revelation, the most terrifying and controversial book of the Bible, was written by an exiled prophet almost two thousand years ago. The final chapters of the New Testament describe mankind's violent end of days--a seven-year period of unparalleled death and destruction. Jesus breaks seven seals that unleash three waves of devastation--natural and man-made, from the sky and from deep within the earth. The Antichrist will rise [in fact the Book of Revelation never mentions the word 'Antichrist', let alone the Antichrist, which is a late, medieval concept, not a biblical one]. Pestilence, famine, war, and natural disasters will purge humanity before Jesus returns for the final battle between good and evil. But who is the Antichrist? [not any individual in the Bible, certainly!] Who will survive God's wrath? [not anybody who tells fibs about it, presumably! ;)] And when will this apocalypse happen? [written nearly 2000 years ago, the text itself says 'soon' (!!), so it can hardly be considered reliable where timing is concerned, can it?!]
[“Secrets of the Seven Seals,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/nostradamus-effect/episodes/episode-guide (accessed Dec 6, 2012)]
Ancient Aliens: The Doomsday Prophecies
The Maya created the most sophisticated calendar systems in
the ancient world [says the blurb], and according to many scholars [but no real, accredited Mesoamerican scholars, so far as I am aware!] their Long Count
Calendar will come to an end on December 21, 2012 [no, it certainly won't -- it goes on for several octillion years!]. What does this mean
for mankind? Some researchers believe it will usher in the return of
Bolon Yokte--a mysterious god associated with creation and war [the text doesn't actually specify]. Could
this god actually be an extraterrestrial as some ancient astronaut
theorists believe? [sure! sure!] Other scholars believe the end of the calendar will
bring about a series of catastrophic events that may threaten the very
existence of mankind [I don't know of any real scholar who does!]. They point to a rare galactic alignment that will
coincide with the end of the Mayan calendar [so 'rare', in fact, that it actually happens every year!] as proof of an impending
geological catastrophe [how can remote astronomical events possibly affect terrestrial geology?]. If these doomsday prophecies prove to be true,
will it mean the end of the world as we know it? [the end of all fact-based scholarship, certainly!] Or could it reveal some
profound truth about the origins of the human race? [well, this whole topic certainly reveals a thing or two about (a) the History Channel and (b) public gullibility!]
“The Doomsday Prophecies,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/episodes/season-4 (accessed Dec 10, 2012).
The Mayan Connspiracy (here we go again!)
The Mayan civilization dominated Central America for nearly 2000 years, but by the 9th century A.D., the great Mayan cities were abandoned [says the blurb -- more or less correctly so far], and the Mayan people vanished [no they didn't -- they're still there!]. What could have happened to this advanced culture? Might the Maya have left clues as to how they surpassed other cultures in science, mathematics, time keeping, and most importantly, astronomy? In recent years, hieroglyphs have been decoded to reveal that the Maya were able to accurately predict shifts in the Earth's axis every 26,000 years [in fact their inscriptions never refer to Planet Earth or its axis, let alone any shift in the latter]. Inscriptions on the sarcophagus of their most prominent ruler, King Pakal, tell of a journey to the Milky Way [none of their glyphs stands for the Milky Way]. And a sophisticated calendar foretells of the end of the world in 2012 [as any reputable Mesoamerican scholar will tell you, it in fact foretells nothing of the kind]. Most striking is their belief that knowledge was passed to them by otherworldly beings who descended from the sky [I think the term is 'gods'!]. Could the ancient Maya have actually conspired with extraterrestrial visitors to plan the future--and even the very end of the world?[if they did, it most certainly wasn't for 21 December 2012!]
[“The Mayan Conspiracy,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/episodes/season-4 (accessed Dec 13, 2012).]
[“Countdown to 12/21/12: Maya Messengers,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/countdown-to-apocalypse/episodes/season-1 (accessed Dec 18, 2012).]
Centuries ago the prophet Nostradamus had visions of the end of
our modern world [no, he didn't]. Now, scholars [or are they just nutters with bees in their bonnets?] decipher his mysterious predictions [that'll be the day!] and
learn of terrible tragedies and catastrophic events that threaten to
annihilate global populations [you mean there's more than one?]. Nostradamus has successfully predicted
the rise of Hitler, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the detonation
of the atomic bomb, and countless other events [except that he hasn't/didn't!]. Many [who?] fear that the
remaining unfulfilled prophecies of Nostradamus will manifest before our
very eyes [if only they knew which they are!]. At Radius Engineering in Texas, Walton McCarthy shows state
of the art underground shelters to a concerned family and in South
Florida, Billy Carson of Fort Terra Nova meets with a prospective client
interested in joining an underground shelter community large enough to
house over 350 people [if only this had something to do with Nostradamus!].
[“Countdown to 12/21/12: Nostradamus,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/countdown-to-apocalypse/episodes/season-1 (accessed Dec 20, 2012).]
“The Doomsday Prophecies,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/episodes/season-4 (accessed Dec 10, 2012).
The Mayan Connspiracy (here we go again!)
The Mayan civilization dominated Central America for nearly 2000 years, but by the 9th century A.D., the great Mayan cities were abandoned [says the blurb -- more or less correctly so far], and the Mayan people vanished [no they didn't -- they're still there!]. What could have happened to this advanced culture? Might the Maya have left clues as to how they surpassed other cultures in science, mathematics, time keeping, and most importantly, astronomy? In recent years, hieroglyphs have been decoded to reveal that the Maya were able to accurately predict shifts in the Earth's axis every 26,000 years [in fact their inscriptions never refer to Planet Earth or its axis, let alone any shift in the latter]. Inscriptions on the sarcophagus of their most prominent ruler, King Pakal, tell of a journey to the Milky Way [none of their glyphs stands for the Milky Way]. And a sophisticated calendar foretells of the end of the world in 2012 [as any reputable Mesoamerican scholar will tell you, it in fact foretells nothing of the kind]. Most striking is their belief that knowledge was passed to them by otherworldly beings who descended from the sky [I think the term is 'gods'!]. Could the ancient Maya have actually conspired with extraterrestrial visitors to plan the future--and even the very end of the world?[if they did, it most certainly wasn't for 21 December 2012!]
[“The Mayan Conspiracy,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/episodes/season-4 (accessed Dec 13, 2012).]
Countdown to 12/21/12: Maya Messengers
December 21, 2012: a prophetic date delivered in stone by the ancient Maya [says the blurb]. Revered by scientists for their extremely accurate calendars, the Maya are also known for their mysterious ability to predict unsettling events so many are taking the December date seriously [there is in fact absolutely nothing unsettling about the events described]. On this date a rare galactic alignment will take place [so 'rare' that it currently happens every year -- click on the relevant link in the RH column!] and coincidentally, as the alignment happens, our sun will be entering its most violent solar storm cycle [no it won't -- it's a relatively minor one]. And, all of this comes at a time when scientists [which scientists?] believe Earth s magnetic defense shield, which protects us from dangerous solar radiation, may be compromised [no more than usual!]. Our planet may become paralyzed [or, then again, it may not!]. People are heeding the warning and getting prepared, including a group of everyday Americans learning how to fend for themselves and live off the grid [sure, sure -- head for the bunker!].
[“Countdown to 12/21/12: Maya Messengers,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/countdown-to-apocalypse/episodes/season-1 (accessed Dec 18, 2012).]
Countdown to 12/21/12: Nostradamus
[“Countdown to 12/21/12: Nostradamus,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/shows/countdown-to-apocalypse/episodes/season-1 (accessed Dec 20, 2012).]
This film describes its alarmist post-apocalyptic montage as a 'theoretical worst case scenario'. In fact most of it is the purest fictional disaster movie, rather along the lines of a whole range of films from The Tryffids to The Road, interlarded with a range of historical reports from known disasters -- medical, financial, logistical, meteorological, nutritional -- in an apparent effort to make it seem more real. Guaranteed to encourage the worst kind of American paranoia!
Doomsday 2012: The End of Days
There are prophecies and oracles from around the world that all seem to point to December 21, 2012 as doomsday, says the blurb [really? all of them?!]. The ancient Mayan Calendar, the medieval predictions of Merlin, the Book of Revelation and the Chinese oracle of the I Ching all point to this specific date as the end of civilization [they do nothing of the kind, unless you want them to!]. A new technology called "The Web-Bot Project" makes massive scans of the internet as a means of forecasting the future... and has turned up the same dreaded date: 2012 [I wonder why? Not, surely, because the History Channel and the works of John Major Jenkins have constantly brought it to people's consciousness?!]. Skeptics point to a long history of "Failed Doomsdays", but many [?] oracles of doom throughout history have a disturbingly accurate track record [really, or only with the benefit of wishful hindsight?]. As the year 2012 ticks ever closer we'll speculate [yes, 'speculation' is certainly the word!] if there are any reasons to believe these doomsayers. In fact the producers devote the film to raking up [albeit with suitable disclaimers!] all the 'evidence' they possibly can to support this preposterous proposition -- be it pseudo-historical, pseudo-mythological, pseudo-religious, pseudo-prophetic or pseudo-scientific. In the process, they completely misunderstand not only the Mayan calendar (which doesn't end in December 2012), but the supposedly rare 'galactic alignment' of December 2012 (which isn't as accurate as often claimed, and currently happens every year!) and the nature of magnetic pole-shift, too (which happens all the time). Even John Major Jenkins, the arch '2012ologist', has apparently described the film as '45 minutes of unabashed doomsday hype and the worst kind of inane sensationalism'.
Mayan Doomsday Prophecy
The Channel's blurb states: The world is coming to an end on December 21, 2012! The ancient Maya made this stunning prediction more than 2,000 years ago [no, they didn't!] We'll peel back the layers of mystery [it goes on] and examine in detail how the Maya calculated the exact date of doomsday [that would be rather clever, given that they didn't]. Journey back to the ancient city of Chichen Itza, the hub of Maya civilization [well, only latterly, in the 9th century of our era, because most of the other centers had died out by then!] deep in the heart of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula , to uncover the truth about this prophecy [that'll be the day!]. The Maya were legendary astronomers and timekeepers--their calendar is more accurate than our own [no, it isn't]. By tracking the stars and planets they assigned great meaning to astronomical phenomena and made extraordinary predictions based on them [really?]--many of which have come true [which, and in whose opinion?]. Could their doomsday prophecy [the one they didn't make, you mean?] be one of them? In insightful interviews [pseudo-?] archaeologists, astrologers, and historians speculate on the meaning of the 2012 prophecy [the one that 20th-century commentators have made up, you mean?]. Their answers are as intriguing as the questions [I don't doubt they are!].
Apocalypse Island
Does a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean hold the final clue to the Mayan's apocalypt[ic prophecies]? the blurb apparently asks. Since the Maya didn't make any apocalyptic prophecies, the island would have to be pretty remote -- and in fact the film's premises are entirely fictional.
For further details, please see under The Nostradamus Effect (clink on link in the RH column -->).
Quite what the supposedly respectable Channel was trying to achieve by giving air-time to such blatant propaganda as much of the above is unclear, but the resulting media hype represents the worst kind of public doom-mongering -- rather like shouting 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre -- and the films consequently tell us nothing about history (the Channel's ostensible theme), except that such delusions are nothing new.
For further information on the subject see:
 |
| The book that reveals the true date of the Mayan End of the World |
(googlable via the links at the bottom of this page and in the RH column -->)
Thankfully, then, you can happily ignore all the disturbing suggestions made in these films -- most of which, despite the History Channel's claims of impartiality, manifestly give far more weight to the doom-mongers than to the reputable scholars, not least by constantly wheeling out in their favour such suggestive, meaningless 'weasel-phrases' as 'some say', 'many believe', 'scholars suggest', 'it is thought' and so on, together with words such as 'may', 'could' and 'perhaps', and ominous suggestive questions along the lines of 'Does this indicate that...?' and 'Could this be a warning that...?' (if you are foolish enough to watch the films, try counting these phrases -- you'll be amazed!). After all, the unspecified 'some' or 'many' are always bound by definition vastly to outnumber the few rational objectors who are actually allowed to speak -- or who are even mentioned at all -- and almost anything may or could happen, however unlikely it is!
For further details, please click on '2012: It Wasn't the End of the World' in the RH column. -->
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please feel free to count the number of these 'weasel-phrases' in any given History Channel film or online video clip from the series and enter the result under 'Comments' below. If possible, state its length in whole minutes and divide this figure into your result to give its HAQ, or 'Hot Air Quotient' (ideal value = 0). This may be of help to potential future victims!
Example:
Film or video: Videoclip 'Antichrist Prophecies'
Number of 'weasel-phrases': 6
Length in whole minutes: 3
Therefore HAQ = 6/3 = 2 (i.e. pretty high!)
