Citing fears that doomsday believers, curiosity seekers, and "above all" journalists will flood a French mountaintop on Dec. 21, the supposed day of the Mayan apocalypse, local officials are banning access to the mountain.
The spot, Pic de Bugarach, is rumored to be one of the only safe places on the planet on Dec. 21, according to Raw Story. On that date, a major cycle of the Maya Long Count calendar ends. The calendar is split into several chunks, including 400-year spans called b'ak'tuns. Dec. 21, 2012 on our calendar marks the end of the 13th b'ak'tun and the beginning of a new cycle.
One online rumor holds that on this day of destruction, Pic de Bugarach will open up to reveal an alien spacecraft, which will save believers nearby. That has local officials worried. [End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears]
"We are expecting a few visionaries, a few people who believe in this end of the world, but in extremely limited numbers," state official Eric Freysselinard told Raw Story. "We are expecting greater numbers of people who are just curious, but in numbers we cannot determine. Above all, we are expecting lots of journalists."
In response, officials will call in 100 police and firefighters on Dec. 21 to seal off approaches to the mountain, Freysselinard told Raw Story.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
The spot, Pic de Bugarach, is rumored to be one of the only safe places on the planet on Dec. 21, according to Raw Story. On that date, a major cycle of the Maya Long Count calendar ends. The calendar is split into several chunks, including 400-year spans called b'ak'tuns. Dec. 21, 2012 on our calendar marks the end of the 13th b'ak'tun and the beginning of a new cycle.
One online rumor holds that on this day of destruction, Pic de Bugarach will open up to reveal an alien spacecraft, which will save believers nearby. That has local officials worried. [End of the World? Top Doomsday Fears]
"We are expecting a few visionaries, a few people who believe in this end of the world, but in extremely limited numbers," state official Eric Freysselinard told Raw Story. "We are expecting greater numbers of people who are just curious, but in numbers we cannot determine. Above all, we are expecting lots of journalists."
In response, officials will call in 100 police and firefighters on Dec. 21 to seal off approaches to the mountain, Freysselinard told Raw Story.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
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