I have been hearing more and more about how August 22nd is going to be a really bad day. The president of Iran has eluded that it would be the start of Armageddon when Mohammad returns.
At first I thought it was just sensationalist journalism to arouse fear, but as the day approaches, I am noticing that North Korea may be testing a nuke, Hezbollah feels embolden, Iran has it's military out in exercises--ready for an attack, Cuba is on high military alert.
My dad, who is neither Christian nor a doom and gloom person at all (and follows politics closely), is talking about needing food storage. He feels there is cause for real concern.
So Hatrackers, what do you think? Hype or a Real Concern? On a side note, does anyone not think that America or Israel will be hit with at least a dirty bomb in the next 5 years?
I think we will—but then I thought we would have been hit in the last 5 years since 9/11.
[ August 22, 2006, 12:18 PM: Message edited by: lem ]
Posted by Reticulum (Member # 8776) on :
Bah Humbug, there is always happening like this. If something happens on 8/22, than I'ma dancing poodle... and I'm not.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
My husband's fire dept has a terrorism alert out. Not that he's all that concerned about it really.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
I think we'll be fine. And since I'm the expert, y'all should just trust me.
I know you won't, but you should.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Heh,heh.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
My biggest concern is I'll have classes for six hours in a row with ten minutes of break.
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
My biggest concern is that these pork chops will be as good as they smell.
*drools*
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I have an orthodontist appointment that day! OH NO!
It bodes no good.
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
well, I'll be working if anyone wants to get some ice cream before the world explodes or burns up or whatever...
Posted by citadel (Member # 8367) on :
I am not too concerned though I am getting my food storage together.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
quote:Originally posted by Reticulum: Bah Humbug, there is always happening like this. If something happens on 8/22, than I'ma dancing poodle... and I'm not.
Well, you're not yet anyways. Posted by Palliard (Member # 8109) on :
Hype. While the world is destined to end on a Tuesday, This Tuesday will not be the one.
Dirty Bomb? Keep your hands away from your face and take a shower... bomb threat over. Heavy metals are just not an effective weapon. Heck, the DoE put strontium-90 in your milk, just to see what would happen. Turns out, not much.
I think people have a pathological need to fear something. It's like my fellow Americans and terrorists have a co-dependency problem.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Remember -- those who say the world will end only have to be right once. Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Better be hype, I'm moving into an apartment on the 22nd.
Posted by Ecthalion (Member # 8825) on :
statistically speaking you can fit the entire population of the US into an area smaller than texas. If you compare that to the size of the US and how many people there are and then add this to the significance of the area you live in as it impacts the global economy/world structure and you have then the rough ability to determine if you are at a high risk or not. Or if you belive the terorist will do something random then you still have a billion to one chance of being effected. either way, dont worry, be happy (althouhg i think the guy who sang that shot himself....) and live life like it coul dbe the last day and when it isnt dont be dissapointed.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Bobby McFerrin is alive and well. The suicide rumor is untrue.
Posted by dawnmaria (Member # 4142) on :
Thanks for freaking me out! Now I have to go worry about this too! As if my washer going fritzy wasn't enough! I live close enough to DC that I better go get more groceries. Just in case.
Posted by TheSeeingHand (Member # 8349) on :
I just started The Fountainhead... It's too long to finish by then!
And no Master Alvin...
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:Heck, the DoE put strontium-90 in your milk, just to see what would happen. Turns out, not much.
I got super-powers.
Posted by B34N (Member # 9597) on :
Why's it always gotta be a Tuesday?
Posted by Zotto! (Member # 4689) on :
Hey, me too, fugu. Man, it's hard enough flying in to a new city and moving into a new place without, y'know, the whole apocalypse thing.
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Terrorists must hate Mondays, too. I think we should build on that common ground.
Posted by Reticulum (Member # 8776) on :
quote:Originally posted by B34N: Why's it always gotta be a Tuesday?
Because it sort of sounds like toomsday, or doomsday.
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
Mondays are so much better for Doomsdays. Anyone else get a bad case of the Mondays?
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
quote:Or if you belive the terorist will do something random then you still have a billion to one chance of being effected.
I am not concerned about me or my family. We live in an area very unlikely to be hit by anything. I have noticed that many people feel that something big is about to happen.
I don't think this feeling should be marked as the human condition. Our weapons are bigger, the hate more irrational, and the players more diverse.
I am not scared tho. So far I have lived through several wars-Gulf, Iraq, et cetera. I was alive for 911 which has changed the world. I have seen the Berlin wall come down, Russia open up, and an entire major American city flooded and devastated, and yet...my life has gone on as it has before. Uneventful.
I have known no-one who has been directly influenced by these events.
But the feeling is in the air. I liked the link from Bernard Lewis.
quote:What is the significance of Aug. 22? This year, Aug. 22 corresponds, in the Islamic calendar, to the 27th day of the month of Rajab of the year 1427. This, by tradition, is the night when many Muslims commemorate the night flight of the prophet Muhammad on the winged horse Buraq, first to "the farthest mosque," usually identified with Jerusalem, and then to heaven and back (c.f., Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.
quote: A passage from the Ayatollah Khomeini, quoted in an 11th-grade Iranian schoolbook, is revealing. "I am decisively announcing to the whole world that if the world-devourers [i.e., the infidel powers] wish to stand against our religion, we will stand against their whole world and will not cease until the annihilation of all them... In this context, mutual assured destruction, the deterrent that worked so well during the Cold War, would have no meaning. At the end of time, there will be general destruction anyway. What will matter will be the final destination of the dead--hell for the infidels, and heaven for the believers. For people with this mindset, MAD is not a constraint; it is an inducement.
I have no way to judge if 8-22 will have any historical significance. In the long run it really doesn't matter if the events people fear are in motion happen on 8-22, next month, or five years from now.
But I will be extra curious come Tuesday.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:I have noticed that many people feel that something big is about to happen.
This is probably because it suits certain major players -- both political and informational -- that this be so.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Boris - Great Idea!!
Here are my thoughts, for what they're worth... What can I really do about the world ending? What impact can I have on a group of people 1/2 the world away that are hell-bent on ending it all? While I'd like to say I'm Supergirl + me and Supey are gonna spin this sucker back two revolutions if anyone tries anything dumb, I'm not. I figure, I'm going to work on Tuesday. My Mom will call about 4 times, just to 'check in' and tell me she loves me. My kid bro will call me because he misses me since I moved away. My Dad will send some random email with some random fact. And I'll carry on with my day. What ever happens will happen, despite any planning or worrying or wishing it wouldn't. If it's this Tuesday, so be it. If it's not, even better 'cause there's way more I want to do with my life.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
We humans are pretty malleable and succeptible. We'd all like to believe something big is going to happen- whether we fear it, or long for it.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
I think terrorists just want to pick another double-digit calendar day. First 9/11, now 8/22.
Boy, 7/33 is gonna suck...
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
What about 6/44?
Oh wait...
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
The more fanatics like Iran's president get their hopes up and build up anticipation for the final victory of their barbaric warrior cult over the civilized world, the more completely and devastatingly those hopes and prideful expectations can be dashed. August 23 will be a day of great depression among them. Then perhaps in the days or weeks following, a revolution will take place in Iran that will get rid of the bloody Ayatollahs. The majority of the population is very unhappy about the religious tyranny of the islamofascists.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by lem: I have been hearing more and more about how August 22nd is going to be a really bad day. The president of Iran has eluded that it would be the start of Armageddon when Mohammad returns.
I think you have your religions mixed up. Muslims don't think Mohammed is going to return.
Posted by Gwen (Member # 9551) on :
The world will end on a Thursday because I never could get the hang of Thursdays. All my life I've felt like something big has been going on all around me, only no one will tell me what it is-- Oh, that's just perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the Universe has that.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Well, if the world ends I won't have to face the next Tuesday. So really, either way it's win/win for me.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
What's next Tuesday for you, blacwolve?
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
And - win/win 'cause win: the world doesn't end or win: you don't have to face the day or... ?
Posted by Edgehopper (Member # 1716) on :
Well, I won't be taking the subway. A 9/11-style airplane missile can't happen now, and even in New York, the only 3 types of attacks that could hurt me down in the Village are:
1: Subway conventional or gas attack. 2: Dirty bomb attack 3: An actual nuclear weapon.
2 & 3 are extremely unlikely. 1 is very possible, and so I'll be staying holed up in my apartment.
All of these seem much less likely than some form of attack on Israel, possibly the barrage of conventional SRBMs Nasrallah promised to hit Tel Aviv with.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
quote:We'd all like to believe something big is going to happen- whether we fear it, or long for it.
True dat!
I was just talking with my wife the other day along similar lines. She is Mormon; I left the church. We still talk about the church, but we accept where the other person is.
She asked me what I thought would happen if the church requested that the members turn over their property and money over to the church so they could make some hypothetical major move someplace--much like the early pioneers.
She expected me to say that not many members would do it, since I think the church is false. I reminded her that most of the people who would have this requested of them think it is true. I also told her that it is sometimes easier to follow the momentous commandments then the day to day simple commandments.
My conclusion is that the church would be involved in a successful endeavor. Heck, it hypothetically sounds so exciting I might even join them--j/k.
I agree about the longing for something big.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
"Honey... you know, today might be our last day on Earth... so... um... Can I have a decent dinner for a change? And can I watch TV in the living room for more than an hour? And can you not speak?"
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:We'd all like to believe something big is going to happen- whether we fear it, or long for it.
You know, this is SO untrue of me that it actually was the first step in my abandonment of my religion. I just don't get this attitude; I don't sympathize with it in the least, and it scares the crap out of me when I see it in other people.
Posted by Papa Moose (Member # 1992) on :
Especially if they're introverts, too?
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
quote: and it scares the crap out of me when I see it in other people.
So you do see it in other people, right? Do you think it is in a lot of people or just a few?
quote: I think you have your religions mixed up. Muslims don't think Mohammed is going to return.
I must, can you enlighten me?
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson:
quote:We'd all like to believe something big is going to happen- whether we fear it, or long for it.
You know, this is SO untrue of me that it actually was the first step in my abandonment of my religion. I just don't get this attitude; I don't sympathize with it in the least, and it scares the crap out of me when I see it in other people.
Oh, I get this feeling all the time. I just knew something was going to happen this past weekend, and BAM! there was a 2-day Hatrack attack on the nation's capitol. We even inadvertently discovered the perfect vector for biological warfare - just look friendly and passout tainted watermelon. There's no shortage of enthusiastic consumers of free watermelon from unscrutinized sources in DC.
[clarification: Our watermelon wasn't tainted, of course. It was actually quite tasty. However, one part of me was pleased that there is still trust in the world and the other part of me wondered just how much of that is a good thing.
[ August 21, 2006, 11:24 AM: Message edited by: KarlEd ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:Especially if they're introverts, too?
Yeah. Millennialist introverts are the worst. Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
As for August 22nd. Another full day at work, just to spite the doomsday sayers I am going out to eat tomorrow. I think we should all agree on a specific quisine, eat there, and report what we ate, and any portentious events that took place. Who is with me?
quote:Originally posted by lem:
quote: and it scares the crap out of me when I see it in other people.
So you do see it in other people, right? Do you think it is in a lot of people or just a few?
quote: I think you have your religions mixed up. Muslims don't think Mohammed is going to return.
I must, can you enlighten me?
You are probably thinking of the return of the 12th (I believe) or Final Imam. He will basically come and do many similar things that Christians believe Christ will do at the end of days. Its more of a Shiia tenant if my information holds up, as Shiia's believe their Imams should have rightfully held the reigns of Islam but where held back by the heretic Sunnis.
^^ You might find that link alittle useful.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote: I think you have your religions mixed up. Muslims don't think Mohammed is going to return.
I must, can you enlighten me?
You are probably thinking of the return of the 12th (I believe) or Final Imam. He will basically come and do many similar things that Christians believe Christ will do at the end of days. Its more of a Shiia tenant[/QB][/QUOTE]
The only religions I've ever heard of where a dead leader is supposed to return are Christianity and Lubavitch Hassidism.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
Thanks for the clarification!
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
starlisa, to make things more confusing, the 12th Imam is often confused with the very bloody and fanatical veiled prophet, that lived in the mountains of Iran. He to is supposed to return. Except in St. Louis MO, where the Veiled Prophet is the name of the secret upperclass organization who's main purpose is to organize an expensive debutante ball every year. They used to throw a big parade on July 4th, but that was taken over by the city politico's to be "the Major Summer Event" of the city. But I digresss.......
If big things are happening tomorrow, then they should start appearing in the news soon, since its already tomorrow somewhere.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by starLisa:
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade:
quote: I think you have your religions mixed up. Muslims don't think Mohammed is going to return.
I must, can you enlighten me?
You are probably thinking of the return of the 12th (I believe) or Final Imam. He will basically come and do many similar things that Christians believe Christ will do at the end of days. Its more of a Shiia tenant
The only religions I've ever heard of where a dead leader is supposed to return are Christianity and Lubavitch Hassidism. [/QB][/QUOTE]
Interestingly enough, I once watched a documentary on Jerusalem where they mentioned that if Jesus were to return he is supposed to appear on the mount of olives after it has split in two and the walk from there and enter Jerusalem. The entrance that faces the mount (my geography is shady) actually has a Muslim Cemetary almost in the way. And apparently those buried there believe their ghosts will stop Jesus from coming into Jerusalem.
I found that to be quite interesting, as I would like to know where that idea came from.
Also Lisa you forgot Tibetan Buddhism, where the Dalai Lhama is a reincarnation of the Buddha.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
Here is an update article. BTW...I am thinking more and more nothing is going to happen, otherwise it would be happening soon.
I don't see Iran doing anything so stupid as a war. I am much more concerned about the possibility of them cutting their oil contracts with us and selling it to Russia or China.
quote: Some Shiite sects believe that August 22 could correspond to the end of the world. And just today, after much hype, Iran has announced that it will continue to develop its nuclear program. To followers of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, this is a well-timed affront to Israel, the United States and the world. The United Nations had given Iran until the end of the month to respond, but Ahmadinejad had made it clear to all Iranians and the world that he intended to respond on the eve of August 22.
quote: "It does seem very likely, very probable, that he has something major in mind, whether only a major announcement or a major attack, we will soon see."
EDIT: to add quotes.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Maybe as part of our premptive strike policy we could launch missiles at Iran, North Korea, and maybe China and destroy their ability to start said Doomsday?
Posted by SoaPiNuReYe (Member # 9144) on :
My friends birthday is on the 22nd o.O
Posted by Palliard (Member # 8109) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samprimary:
quote:Heck, the DoE put strontium-90 in your milk, just to see what would happen. Turns out, not much.
I got super-powers.
You laugh, but back in the '50s when nu-q-lar technology was new, nobody knew what radiation would do to you. The Department of Energy embarked on quite a few "involuntary" experiments documenting the effects of radiation and heavy metals.
The strontium experiment took place mostly in 1954, and was primarily concerned with the effects of absorbing strontium into your skeleton in place of calcium. In modern times you could guess the result: leukemia and bone cancer. But at the time this was a new field of research.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Maybe as part of our premptive strike policy we could launch missiles at Iran, North Korea, and maybe China and destroy their ability to start said Doomsday?
I laughed out loud at this.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
It is absolutely true. The 22th will be a horrible day. I have appointments staring at 9 am, and have to be here to give placement tests, which last until 8 pm.
ack!
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
I have to work two shifts tomorrow on the 22nd, starting at 6am. Along about 8pm, I'll probably be fine with the world ending.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ok, you win!
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Victory is mine! ...The day before Armageddon. Someone up there is laughing at me. Armegeddon no respect, I tell ya.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
I waited up 'till it was the 22nd, on a Tuesday, and I'm still here. If I'm not later today, at least I got these words out... God is good, I lived as Righteously as I knew how, I love my Family and I detest petty argument.
So that's it. I got it out. If it all ends later, at least I've said it. ; )
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
It's here.
And, in about three hours, I'll be in a surgeon's office getting my chest cut open.
Definitely a scary day!
(actually I'm only a little nervous, it will just be a little cut)
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
Well, it appears that fears of an Iranian attack were just hype. Iran did give it's response regarding international pressure to stop enriching uranium. They will not abandon enriching uranium for use in nuclear power stations. Who really thought they would?
That’s the response. No big war. Can we get a poll on who thinks they will use/supply nuclear weapons to be used against Israel or USA in the future?
I think it is plausible for them to supply something to be used against Israel; however, the desire to not be obliterated and the money America pays Iran for oil are two incentives to stop religious mad men.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Learned this is poly sci class, take it with a grain of salt. The amount of uranium enrichment you need for nuclear power plants is FAR lower then the amount needed to build a nuclear weapon.
I'd be a bit more convinced if I saw Iran building the nuclear power plants as putting in the Uranium once its done would not take too long, not to mention enriching uranium to the point of usefulness as a power source takes VERY little time. Working up to a bomb takes a significant amount of time. How long has Iran been enriching Uranium and stalling talks?
If all they are interested is nuclear power, why dont they simply take up Europe on its offer to build them fully functional nuclear power plants. They don't even have to pay for these plants, so whats the problem?
If its equality, and they feel like they have every right to develop nuclear weapons as a sovereign state. Fine, make the leaders all swear by Allah (his name be praised) that they will never use them against Israel (which they must recognize) or anybody else EXCEPT as a response to attack.
They won't be willing to make that promise, thats why they can't have them.
My former Polysci teachers paper he wrote 10 months ago about Iran, the state of things, and its current governmental makeup.
I found it VERY interesting, and useful as my teacher is Iranian.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
So occaisionally I go and watch trailers at Apple.com.
If we wonder what the general feeling of the world/America is at the moment, the trailers of upcoming fall/winter movies is possibly one indication.
Could they be more depressing? There are a whole clump of movies that seem very unhopeful about the future. All seem to depict a period of great darkness, with perhaps a very desperate pinpoint of hope.
Edmond is essentially about an ordinary man who gets pulled into the grimy underside of a city. Babel, starring Brad Pitt looking old, is a world-wide story that seems to touch on the themes of frayed nerves, terrorism, race and hysteria. Renaissance is about a dystopian society in Paris, circa 2054. The Children of Men is about the human race become infertile. Haven- where the Cayman island paradise becomes Hell on Earth. Complete with roadsign to Hell. The Fountain is apparantly about the search for eternal life (to save the woman he loves) in 1500, 2000, and 2500. It's not necessarily dark, but it definately has shades of the kind of thinking that characterizes our interest in things like the apocalypse.
Bring on the apocalypse!
(Come on, people, let's put some money into space flight, let's start saving the planet, let's start sending postcards and videos to places on the other side of the world and perhaps we won't be feel so depressed!)
*throws flowers*
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Well, so far so good.
Posted by B34N (Member # 9597) on :
well the world's still here
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
Breaking News: The entire city of San Francisco has just been abducted by aliens. They left Coit Tower as a reminder, the rest is gone.
At least, I can't see the city looking out my window, so I'm going to assume that the aliens took it.
Posted by Palliard (Member # 8109) on :
I thought pirate ghosts from "The Fog" were supposed to abduct San Francisco. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I seem to have survived my 11-hour workday. How're you doing, Morbo?
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
quote: The world will end on a Thursday because I never could get the hang of Thursdays. All my life I've felt like something big has been going on all around me, only no one will tell me what it is-- Oh, that's just perfectly normal paranoia. Everyone in the Universe has that.
Is this a quote from a movie or book? It sounds so familiar, yet I can't place it...HELP
"What does it do?" "Do? It doesn't DO anything! That's the beauty of it!"
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
That quote is from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Posted by odouls268 (Member # 2145) on :
THANK YOU!
::sigh of relief::
Knowing it's a quote you've read and not being able to place it can be likened to the feeling of constipation in my opinion.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
Well don't get too peaceful yet. If it is indeed in the THGTTG (the movie, I guess since it's not in the books) I don't remember it from seeing the movie, and if it is there, it's an homage to the fact that there has been a search for this quote going around for decades (well prior to the Hitchhiker's movie) and no one has been able to actually find it.
So technically, the quote isn't from the movie since it wouldn't be in that movie if it didn't already exist as a social meme.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Karl, I think "That quote is from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" refers to the Thursday paranoia quote, not the beauty quote.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
You know, life after Armegedon appears to be a lot better than I was expecting.
Posted by ReikoDemosthenes (Member # 6218) on :
I'm actually a tad disappointed. I still appear to have an interview pending for the Japanese class I need to take.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dagonee: Karl, I think "That quote is from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" refers to the Thursday paranoia quote, not the beauty quote.
That makes sense. I've just heard the "beauty" quote attributed to THGTTG several times by others so I jumped the gun. Sorry.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Yup, still have to go to the dentist...
-pH
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
quote:You laugh, but back in the '50s when nu-q-lar technology was new, nobody knew what radiation would do to you. The Department of Energy embarked on quite a few "involuntary" experiments documenting the effects of radiation and heavy metals.
Well, out of all the various hideous Nürnberg Code violations of our past, the radiation experiments seemed like the safest bet for superpowers.
We saved the way lamer stuff for minorities and the mentally ill -- syphilis for the Macon county blacks, cancer cell injections for the jews, hep-b for retarded children at Willowbrook State Hospital, etc -- but us good healthy white-blooded gentile folk got the rads.
I think we were trying to hog all the superpowers for ourselves.
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