End Of The World

IN one, a thick layer of ash covers everything as a nameless man and his son push their cart through a shattered land of absolute silence and darkness without end. In another, the world inexplicably floods, sending a watertight hospital full of sleep-deprived doctors and their young patients bobbing on the waves like a new Noah's Ark.

Are the Kings panicking after losing the first two games of their opening-round playoff series to the St. Louis Blues? Are they shocked to be in such a precarious spot? Coach Darryl Sutter listened to reporters' inquiries Friday and smiled. "You guys are asking questions that are sort of like end-of-the-world questions," he said. "It's really not that. " No, but if they lose Saturday, when the series shifts to Staples Center, they might be able to see the end of their reign as Stanley Cup champions.

Disappointed by the lack of hellfire and brimstone during the much- ballyhooed Y2K transition? Don't worry. There will be plenty of opportunities to fret in the months and years ahead: Floods, famine and fire--a Hieronymous Bosch painting come to life--are just a few ways in which mass death and planetary destruction are predicted to come about. For centuries, prophets and doomsayers have embarrassed themselves with erroneous end-of-time predictions.

Here's how end-of-the-world projections, based on the Mayan calendar, are being greeted in some quarters of the pop music world on Twitter. Pop & Hiss has decided to include two end-of-the-world tweets from Weird Al Yankovic because 1) he had the foresight to name his latest album "Alpocalypse" and 2) who can blame him for trying to squeeze in as many tweets as possible before the end times? “Trying frantically to get this record done before the end of the world. Damn Mayans.” -- Brad Paisley “Good news!

Planetary bombardment can be a humbling experience. Virtually unnoticed between the Three Tenors concert on Saturday and O.J. Simpson's scheduled arraignment on July 22, a chorus of comets will pummel Jupiter with the force of a million H-bombs. And so, you're probably wondering: What's in it for me? If you're an astronomer, it will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to glimpse the kind of cataclysm that might have wiped out the dinosaurs and paved the way for human life.

The Jehovah's Witnesses have quietly abandoned a prediction that people alive in 1914 would live to see Christ's kingdom on earth--a major doctrine that lent urgency to the sect's door-to-door warnings that a bloody end of the world is imminent. Some ex-Witnesses predict the change will hurt the "sky-is-falling preaching" of the 4.

Inasmuch, however, as the kingdom of Gyges did not extend to the areas of Meshech and Tubal, as is implied by Ezekiel 38:2 with respect to the kingdom of Gog, there is a problem with assuming that Gog is identical with Gyges, the similarity of the names notwithstanding.

Any of you worried about 12/21/12 because it's the supposed “end of the world”?  We hope not, but in any case, the Griffith Observatory will be here to allay your fears. The observatory has announced that it “will attempt to dispel misguided concerns regarding the 'End of the World' by staying open late the evening of Friday, December 21, 2012, until one minute after midnight.” If it's still around, of course. “The Observatory normally closes at 10:00 p.m. but will remain open an added 121 minutes to demonstrate that claims regarding the Maya calendar, planetary alignments, rogue planets, galactic beams, and other related phenomena have no basis in fact,” the announcement continues.

The Jehovah's Witnesses have quietly abandoned a prediction that people alive in 1914 would live to see Christ's kingdom on Earth--a major doctrine that lent urgency to the sect's door-to-door warnings that a bloody end of the world is imminent. Some ex-Witnesses predict the change will hurt the "sky-is-falling preaching" of the 4.

Give author Tim LaHaye credit for being a shrewd businessman ("Writing for Godot," by Nancy Shepherdson, April 25). In cosmic time and space, planet Earth is a speck of dust and the entire era of human existence is a nano-blip. Prophets of doom have been predicting the end of the world for thousands of years, but millions of gullible people hearing it for the first time will believe anything that enables them to rationalize the finality of death. LaHaye has turned their ignorance into profit and will enjoy its benefits until he dies of old age. Forrest G. Wood Bakersfield I congratulate the end-of-the-world "Left Behind" people for publishing their books in hardcover.

Today is the last day on Earth. Then again, if you're reading this, maybe not. Doomsday, predicted by Mayan cycle adherents for Dec. 21, didn't come after all. Well, not yet anyway. Depending on when you picked up this story, there may be hours to go. But if you're still with me, civilization as we know it hasn't collapsed and Los Angeles is still standing. This is good news, especially for me. Imagine my frustration on awakening to find that, instead of lolling on the beach, I was grinding out a column as the wandering planet Nibiru/ tsunami/ hyperinflation was fast approaching.

Rumors about violence after the deadly shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, coupled with doomsday predictions associated with the Mayan calendar, have led officials to close more than 30 schools in Michigan two days early for the holidays. In a posting on the Lapeer school district website, Supt. Matt Wandrie said the false rumors of possible violence, coupled with the end-of-time furor surrounding the completion of the current Mayan calendar cycle, led the district to cancel Thursday and Friday's classes, along with sports events and other extracurricular activities.

Any of you worried about 12/21/12 because it's the supposed “end of the world”?  We hope not, but in any case, the Griffith Observatory will be here to allay your fears. The observatory has announced that it “will attempt to dispel misguided concerns regarding the 'End of the World' by staying open late the evening of Friday, December 21, 2012, until one minute after midnight.” If it's still around, of course. “The Observatory normally closes at 10:00 p.m. but will remain open an added 121 minutes to demonstrate that claims regarding the Maya calendar, planetary alignments, rogue planets, galactic beams, and other related phenomena have no basis in fact,” the announcement continues.

WASHINGTON - Even more than the election that made Barack Obama the first black president, the one that returned him to office sent an unmistakable signal that the hegemony of the straight white male in America is over. The long drive for broader social participation by all Americans reached a turning point in the 2012 election, which is likely to go down as a watershed in the nation's social and political evolution - and not just because in some states voters approved of same-sex marriage for the first time.

Magic Mike Warner Bros., $28.98; Blu-ray, $35.99 Available on VOD beginning Tuesday Steven Soderbergh's male stripper melodrama "Magic Mike" became a surprise hit earlier this year, drawing huge, raucous "girls night out" crowds thanks to its kitschy story about a studly dancer (Channing Tatum) who keeps running into trouble while trying to make enough money to start his own furniture-building business. But while "Magic Mike" features fun dance sequences and a hilarious performance by Matthew McConaughey as an ambitious club owner, this movie takes a serious turn in its second half, and becomes more of a bummer than it needs to be. Still, kudos to Soderbergh and screenwriter-producer Reid Carolin for turning what amounts to an old-fashioned backstage musical about sex workers into something so (mostly)

In a perfect world, the Angels would have their top off-season target Zack Greinke secured to a long-term deal or get a firm decision from the free-agent right-hander that he is signing elsewhere by the end of the World Series. That would give General Manager Jerry Dipoto a clear view of the Angels' roster and payroll before having to make three key early November decisions: whether to extend a qualifying offer of about $13 million to outfielder Torii Hunter and whether to pick up 2013 options for pitchers Dan Haren and Ervin Santana.

Judgment day caught up with the largest of the South Korean churches predicting the impending end of the world. The Dami Mission disbanded and apologized to the nation. The "doomsday" churches had predicted that last Wednesday would bring the Rapture--the faithful's ascension to heaven. Possibly thousands of believers sold property, left families, and quit schools and jobs. A newspaper said the disbanding was approved by the church's founder, in jail on charges of swindling parishioners.

Here's how end-of-the-world projections, based on the Mayan calendar, are being greeted in some quarters of the pop music world on Twitter. Pop & Hiss has decided to include two end-of-the-world tweets from Weird Al Yankovic because 1) he had the foresight to name his latest album "Alpocalypse" and 2) who can blame him for trying to squeeze in as many tweets as possible before the end times? “Trying frantically to get this record done before the end of the world. Damn Mayans.” -- Brad Paisley “Good news!

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not hoping for this or expecting it, but maybe it wouldn't be the end of the world if Mitt Romney became president. Never in my life have I supported a Republican for president, and I don't intend to start now. I'm voting for Obama, and I urge you to do the same. I don't even really understand the intense disappointment many liberals seem to feel about the president's first term. For heaven's sake, with the Affordable Care Act, he crossed off what had been the top item on the liberal to-do list for decades.

LONDON - Jamel Herring waited more than 10 years for his chance to get in an Olympic boxing ring. Once he was there, however, his stay proved agonizingly short, as he lasted only three one-sided rounds against Daniyar Yeleussinov of Kazakhstan, who won their opening round light-welterweight bout, 19-9, Tuesday. But although he may have lost the fight, Herring didn't lose his perspective. War, it seems, has a way of doing that to a person. "It's not the end of the world," he said, tugging at his dark blue boxing trunks.