Are you ready for the apocalypse?

What? Another one already?

Depending on who you listen to, 28 September will be:

• The end of civilisation as we know it. (Again.)
• The date of the Second Coming/Rapture/Tribulation (beginning or end), or Arrival of the Great Green Arkleseizure.
• The approximate impact date of a monster space rock that will land on Puerto Rico and...etc, etc.
• Another common or garden variety lunar eclipse.

It more or less depends on whether you believe that the coincidence of tetrads – periods of four consecutive total lunar eclipses – falling on Jewish holidays, with a solar eclipse thrown in, fulfills the prophecy of Joel:

The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Okay, but why now? Tetrads are not that uncommon. And, er, full moons falling on holidays in a lunar calendar…? Er …. Most of us think we need a more specific reason for panicking. Besides, it says right on the cover, Don't Panic…

We do wish Prophets of Doom, Inc would take learn to turn on brains before engaging mouths. Or that somebody would come up with a licencing exam for the profession.

NASA and JPL would probably like to wring their necks. Once again, they have to issue statements such as, 'There is No Asteroid Threatening Earth'. They have telescopes. They do watch, you know. And if you want to worry along with the professionals, you can download the NASA widget to keep track of killer asteroids and other potential purveyors of mayhem.

Oh, and we guess it's time to plan another apocalypse party. Anybody got 'The End Is Nigh' signs left over from the Mayan bash a couple of years ago? We can watch the latest doomsday movie…

Dmitri Gheorgheni

07.09.15 Front Page

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