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    World will not end in 2012, says Regina man

    CBC – Thu, 29 Dec, 2011

    A Regina man who trained as a Mayan timekeeper says the end of the ancient Mayan calendar does not mean the end of the world.

    Dec. 21, 2012 marks the end of the 5,125-year-long Mayan Long Count calendar.

    That has led to dire end-of-times predictions, including hundreds of thousands of doomsday websites and blogs on the internet and even films depicting the end of the world.

    But the Global Chair of Journalism at the University of Regina says that's not an accurate interpretation of the calendar.

    Leonzo Barreno, who immigrated to Canada from Guatemala in 1989, was trained by Mayan elders to read the ancient calendars.

    He says the end of the next year will start a new calendar cycle.

    "This has happened before, and according to the elders this is the fifth time it's happened," he said.

    Barreno said the beginning of the cycle is something to celebrate, not fear.

    What do you feel about this article?

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    13 comments

    • SKYone
      SKYone  •  London, Ontario  •  4 months ago
      Big Deal ! .....my calendar runs out Every Year
    • Emily L
      Emily L  •  Saskatoon, Saskatchewan  •  4 months ago
      Me too the trumpet can blow all it wants, I dont care like is too short to be worrying about the world ending. Life is too short to be in a mad panic about the mayan calender. All I was told by people who associate with mayans is that is a new beginning era!
    • CdnBoy
      CdnBoy  •  Langley, British Columbia  •  4 months ago
      This should make for an interesting year regardless! Remember the frenzy that accompanied the Y2K scare? (if you were too young, it was a build up of anticipation throughout 1999...and yes strange days they were indeed)
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Toronto, Ontario  •  4 months ago
      NO SHXT, SHERLOCK.
    • Nathan
      Nathan  •  4 months ago
      FYI CBC News, the term "Mayan" only refers to the language spoken by the "Maya" people...
      Drop the "n" if you are referencing the people or culture.
      My anthropology professor would be proud...
    • psychicx
      psychicx  •  Ottawa, Ontario  •  4 months ago
      if this is what he is saying..maybe this is the year when the earth will change rather than end..i think also this is the year our minds will expand and we will gradually begin to use both sides of our brain instead of only 10 percent...our vibrations will reach a new level and things will look alittle different to our eyes...thats what i think will happen
    • A Yahoo! User  •  Wakefield, New Brunswick  •  4 months ago
      people need to understand that just because something ends doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. Big woop, so the long count calender ends on december 21st, the Summer and Winter Solstices were major events for these people and Winter marked the beginning and the end of the year. Time and telling time was a very important thing for the Mayans, they started the Calender thousands of years before their time and used it as a marker in order to tell their legends. The end is simply a new beginning to them.
    • Terry G
      Terry G  •  Mississauga, Ontario  •  4 months ago
      The end of the world is definitely in 2012. I saw it in two movies and several TV programs! How can you dispute that?
      • Ryan
        Ryan 4 months ago
        I agree! Everything on TV is real! Haven't you heard of the North American House Hippo?
    • Core Blimey
      Core Blimey  •  Vancouver, British Columbia  •  4 months ago
      Oh, well since this Regina man with a stupid hobby says so...
    • JohnSomethingOrOther
      JohnSomethingOrOther  •  Campbell River, British Columbia  •  4 months ago
      Oh no, I just finished my bucket of ice cream - waaaahhhhhhh!!!!! it's the end of the world.
    • Bill
      Bill  •  Gatineau, Quebec  •  4 months ago
      The world will just take a brake, not end in 2012.
    • Charlie
      Charlie  •  Calgary, Alberta  •  4 months ago
      what are all the biblethumpers going to do..set a new date
      • MF
        MF 4 months ago
        what does the Mayan calendar have to do with the bible - u jackass
      • the4happies
        the4happies 4 months ago
        maybe someone otta thump u talking about ppl that way....I agree with MF above.....u r a JACKASS! The only thing that needs to end is the flapping mouths on ignorant fools like u!
      • Ian
        Ian 4 months ago
        Some evangelists ave used the Mayan doomsday theory to prove there own ends of the world know doubt the Bt's will have to come up with a new date. Undoubtably their gullible followers will believe the new date.
    • mr_falbo
      mr_falbo  •  4 months ago
      global chair of journalism. does this mean he's a prof? if it were some guy from ucc, i bet you'd have used his title. canadians can't even see it. they are blind.
      • Terry G
        Terry G 4 months ago
        You're not too used to writing sentences are you?
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