Vignettes

Before We Turn the Page

Before we fill a blank page with resolutions, we should take a look back at where we were in 2012.

“Deep in December, our hearts should remember And follow…” —"Try to Remember" from The Fantasticks Finally, finally, it is upon us, this short span of time between the magic of Christmas and the promise of a new year. Some may see this as “down time.” After all, many of us have spent the last month or so rushing from shopping mall to discount store, juggling packages and checkbooks, welcoming family and wrapping gifts. We’ve baked cookies, attended Christmas pageants, sang carols and trimmed trees, fitting in a year’s worth of activities in a few short weeks. And still to come, we have New Year’s, with partying and fireworks, champagne and revelry, all done with a page full of resolutions breathing down our neck. But right now, for a brief…

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Is the World Ending Dec. 21? Nope

What the experts say about 12/21/12, Doomsday prophesies, the end of the Mayan calendar and why everyone's stressed over it.

Don’t make any rash decisions: Experts say 12/21/12 is going to be just another typical winter solstice.  Killer solar flares aren’t expected. Another planet isn’t on a collision course with ours. And the Mayan “long count calendar” ending on this date has no real significance—they had to end it somewhere! What is all the fuss about? There are a number of theories and predictions that call for earth’s demise on Dec. 21, 2012. They include: What are the experts saying? The intrigue created by multiple end-of-the-world predictions has made many scholars and even NASA address these claims with formal statements. From professors at Tampa Bay’s own New College to the scientific minds at NASA, they’re all saying the same thing: Go ahead and pay …

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