Thus The New York Times today. “As rumors of an impending apocalypse stir anxiety in Russia, the government has stepped in to encourage calm,” explains the newspaper. Mass psychoses are reported in many places. The supposed Mayan prophecy that the world will end on December 21 of this year is taken seriously by many. There are runs on shops with essentials across the country. People are hoarding food and candles. Therefore, Russia’s government has decided to put an end on doomsday talk. Officials left and right are denying the rumors. But, the article adds, Russia is not the only country to face this problem. Authorities in many countries are thus preparing for the fateful date. Nonetheless, Russians are among the most sensitive to surges of powerful emotions. Official disclaimers were therefore required. Without them, the prophesy could well have turned out self-fulfilling.

Addendum (December 21, 2012)

The only news I check regularly as of late is the page of my Internet service provider. Namely, I have to go through its front page to come to my electronic mail. It offers the summary of essential news both from Croatia and abroad. And this is how I happen to know that Vladimir Putin has recently declared at a press conference that he knows exactly when the end of the world will take place. In four-billion and a half years, that is. This is when the sun is expected to exhaust itself after so many years of fateful service. Although the end of the world is rather distant, it is still ominous in its precision. My first thought was that humans might well learn how to escape from the solar system in time to avoid the sun’s demise, but I shook my head in disbelief soon afterwards. Four-billion and a half years is hardly enough time for this harebrained species to figure out anything of any importance, let alone how to settle on a planet of its choice. Hail, Putin!