THE END IS NIGH!

Calling all filmmakers, musicians and animators!

2006-10-23T15:08:00.000Z

Are you a filmmaker or musician? Are you looking to flex your creative muscles in the name of the apocalypse?

THE END IS NIGH! is looking for talented individuals to pitch ideas for a special project to tie in with our next issue, which is being released in May 2007.

We are hoping to give away a free cover-mounted CD with each copy and we're looking for apocalyptic music, short films and animations to fill it!

Please do let us know your ideas at submissions at endisnigh.co.uk ... but remember - make it apocalyptic!

Doomsday Books #2

2006-10-23T14:01:00.000Z

We return to our semi-regular look at the latest releases in apocalyptic literature.

We've just the one this time round:

THE MEANING OF THE 21ST CENTURY: A Vital Blueprint for Ensuring Our Future by James Martin

Here's a handy Sunday Times review and the Amazon listing.

Remember: if a new book pops up on our doom-o-scope we'll drop a mention in. If you are an author of an upcoming Doomsday Book, or know of one, then please do drop us a line!

'Doomsday clock' could shift forward for first time since 2001

2006-10-13T12:58:00.000Z

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago has said it is closely watching events following North Korea's alleged testing of a nuclear weapon recently.

The group sets the so-called Doomsday Clock, which metaphorically measures the danger the world faces from nuclear weapons (see Andrew Bartlett's excellent feature in issue two of THE END IS NIGH!)

"It started at seven minutes to midnight we are now back to seven minutes to midnight," said Kennette Benedict, the Bulletin's executive director, to the media. "It's really meant to convey a sense of urgency."

Though it was just two minutes from midnight during cold war tensions in 1953, Benedict says when the group meets next month it will consider changing the clock for the first time in four years. North Korea's actions, and Iran's affirmation Tuesday of its nuclear ambitions, are both major considerations.

"Having a weapon go off and a cascade of events… would lead to horrible destruction," he said.

Russian says comet to hit this month

2006-10-11T16:21:00.000Z

According to Russian astronomer Nikolai Fedorovsky, a giant comet flying at top speed is bound for Earth. Should the comet stay on the collision course, it may hit the planet in late October. The impact will cause devastating tsunamis, earthquakes and avalanches, says Fedorovsky. He saw the killer comet in a telescope two weeks ago. He managed to calculate the comet’s trajectory.

The story is from Pravda, so make your own minds up whether you believe it or not ...

Contribute to THE END IS NIGH! #4 ...

2006-10-04T10:09:00.000Z

Still disappointed that planes didn't fall out of the sky on January 1, 2000? Still waiting for the angels to whisk you away? Is Armageddon simply geddin' ya down?

Well, if waiting for the End of the World is getting a bit boring, you need THE END IS NIGH! - the official magazine of the apocalypse!

THE END IS NIGH! is on the look-out for contributors for its massive fourth issue – there's going to be a brand new format, more content, and even more 100% apocalyptic action!

And we're flinging the scope for submissions for this issue WIDE OPEN! So if you've got an apocalyptic idea, we want to hear from you! Whether it's based on the next scientific scare story, the latest religious rant about the Rapture, or you've got your own vision of the End of the World, let us know about it!

SUPPLEMENT IDEAS

In past issues, a 'theme' has taken over the whole magazine, this time we're accepting any apocalyptic ideas while also running a special When Nature Runs Amok! supplement. Global warming has never been 'hotter' news and we want to bring our readers the latest news, features and weird stuff about when nature gets its own back! Why not have a play around with:

• global warming (from submerged continents to worldwide draught to the new ice age!)
• pandemic diseases
• apocalyptic natural disasters (from a polar shift to cinsane weather to volcano meltdown!)
• humanity replaced by the next step in evolution (Mutant superheroes? Vampires? Homo superior? Animals taking over? It could happen!)
• Nature versus technology – which will destroy civilisation first?!

But remember – so long as it's about the End of the World, it's in THE END IS NIGH!

CAN YOU HELP US?

THE END IS NIGH!'s success has been built on the hard work of its army of contributors. From comic strip artists to feature and short story writers to people who chuck in the odd joke or two – they all make it the fantastic magazine it is! So why not join their ranks? We're on the look out for the following things:

Comic strips
We need writers and artists for comic strips from one page to six pages in length – get your ideas in print and your work seen by an audience the crosses genres and spans the globe! And don't just go for the easy old ideas – go crazy! After all, it is the end of the world ;)

Features
We need feature writers to explain all the latest, biggest and scariest End of the World scenarios – is there a scary new cult on the apocalyptic map? What's the latest thing scientists are saying will end all life on Earth? What new vision of Armageddon is being preached from the pulpit? What horrors does our planet, our solar system, or our own warped minds have in store for us? All ideas for features up to 1,000 words in length considered!

Spot illustrations
You don't have to do a strip for the next issue – why not let your imagination go mad with some spot illustrations? There will be features that need a visual to grab the reader's attention – your work could bring those words to life! Each issue needs dozens and dozens of images to illustrate our wide range of content. Get the chance to show off with some designs of your own!

Cartoons
The End of the World is no laughing matter – unless you read THE END IS NIGH! Got an apocalyptic gag that you want to share? Well make our readers laugh away their post-Millennial fears with a cartoon. Don't worry if you can't draw – we can put you in touch with artists to bring your sense of humour to the page!

Short stories
A budding Asimov or are you more John Wyndham? Bring your vision of the End of the World to life in your own words. We want to hear your pitches for short stories up to 1,500 words – just send a rough plot to submission@endisnigh.co.uk

Graphics
A whizz with the ol' Photoshop and Illustrator? Get in touch and put your design skills to making the apocalypse happen on every page!

News
Doomwatch needs you! Remember to keep submitting any news stories you see about the End of the World! Whether it's the latest environmental scare or news of the next asteroid with a one-way ticket for Earth, let us know via our blog at http://end-is-nigh.blogspot.com/ or by e-mailing a link to doomwatch@endisnigh.co.uk

Don’t worry if you don’t have an idea – we can match you with writers or artists who can help bring your work to the page! Just drop us a line, tell us a bit about yourself and we’ll see how you can contribute to the smash hit of the small press scene!

And please don't hesitate to ask if you have an idea, a suggestion or a question to submissions@endisnigh.co.uk - we're here to help!

Cheers

THE END IS NIGH! team

An amusing diversion ... or a horrific warning - you decide! ;)

2006-09-25T15:51:00.000Z

Kenyan cult confused

2006-09-19T10:33:00.000Z

Further to the posts about the House of Yahweh's September 12 prediction, members are apparently 'upset' that nothing happened.

The Kenyan branch of the US sect predicted the world would end in a nuclear war, but the day reportedly ended in some confusion. The Kenyan Standard reported some members of the House of Yahweh spent the day in concrete bunkers they had prepared. The group’s teaching was that the 1993 Oslo Accord between Israel and the Palestinian Authority would collapse, triggering a nuclear holocaust.

But the leader, Eleazor Kamotho Mugwe, said members of House of Yahweh spent the day in normal activities. He said the prophecy had been misunderstood and that Sept. 12, 2006, is the beginning of a seven-year period of collapse and destruction.
“What we know is that after the prophecy, we should be prepared for anything, but we do not know precisely when the war begins,” he said.

Baldrick's Guide to the Apocalypse

2006-09-16T17:47:00.000Z

Tonight on Channel 4 (starting at 19.00) Tony Robinson presents a 2 hour guide to the End Times called "The Doomsday Code." Unusually Channel 4 don't have a mini-site up for this but their listings give this summary:

The Book of Revelation, with its apocalyptic imagery, is one of the most known
books of the bible. The Anti-Christ, The Great Tribulation and the blood-soaked
Battle of Armageddon are all part of St John's terrifying vision of the end of
the world. Tony Robinson uncovers the realities behind the Book of Revelation.

Apocalyptic mass-suicide fears after arrest of polygamous cult leader

2006-09-12T09:08:00.000Z

Following the arrest of Warren Steed Jeffs, the ‘prophet’ of the reportedly polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, fears have been raised that a power struggle within the cult could lead to a mass suicide inspired by end-of-times beliefs.

Jeffs, 50, was taken into custody after he and two other people were pulled over by a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper on Interstate 15 just north of Las Vegas, an FBI spokesman said.
The leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was wanted in Utah and Arizona on suspicion of sexual misconduct for allegedly arranging marriages between underage girls and older men. Since May, Jeffs has been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, with a $100,000 reward offered for information leading to his capture. On Wednesday, September 6, Jeffs’ brother was also arrested.

The FLDS Church split from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when the mainstream Mormon Church disavowed plural marriage more than 100 years ago.

But Debbie Palmer, who fled the sect in 1988 after being married when she was 15 to a 55-year-old man with five other wives, said she fears for her four sisters and one niece whom she believes are in Jeffs' compounds in Colorado, Texas and South Dakota.
"He's got some really dangerous people who are bishops and enforcers in his compounds," Palmer said, adding she worries about a violent power struggle to replace Jeffs, or a mass suicide, end-of-days scenario.

As reported in THE END IS NIGH! issue one, the FLDS raised fears of an apocalyptic mass suicide when they withdrew to their compound and cut off contact from the outside world. It appears that this act, which created a minor media storm due to simularities with the tragic seige of the Branch Davidian compiund in Waco, may have actually brought unwelcome attention to the sect, leading to investigations that eventually sparked Jeffs' arrest.

Doomsday edges closer for Sarin attack cult leader

2006-09-12T09:02:00.000Z

Japan's Supreme Court is likely to soon finalise the death penalty for the former leader of a Japanese doomsday cult who masterminded a fatal gas attack on Tokyo subways 10 years ago, his lawyers said on Monday.

The defence team for Shoko Asahara had filed a special appeal to the court in May after the Tokyo High Court rejected appeals that the former guru was mentally unfit to stand trial and that the case should be suspended.

But the lawyers said that following recent media reports regarding the case, the Supreme Court was likely to decide to throw out their appeal, paving the way for Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, to be hanged.

Asahara, 51, was found guilty of responsibility for the gas attack that killed 12 and made thousands ill, and sentenced to death by the Tokyo District Court in February 2004.

Still waiting ...

2006-09-12T08:11:00.000Z

Not wishing to tempt fate here, but it's September 12 and the world's nuclear arsenal remains in relatively the same sub-atomic state it did yesterday, despite the prediction from the The House of Yahweh that nuclear war would begin today.

As reported in an earlier post, a branch of the US sect in Kenya caused a touch of panic with the prediction. A BBC reporter went to Nyandarua, a village in central Kenya 300km west of Nairobi, where the House of Yahweh's leaders had been arrested and bailed on condition that they stop inciting fear in the local population, following their widely publicised prediction.

One of the sect's leaders, Eliasu Kamotho, said the end of the world was still imminent but he refused to give a deadline.

The authorities say they are monitoring the sect closely, after hundreds of a doomsday cult were killed six years ago in neighbouring Uganda after that group's predictions failed to come true.

Here's the background to this particular cult, courtesy of the ever-excellent religioustolerance.org

Doomsday Books #1

2006-09-02T22:25:00.000Z

Welcome to a new feature looking at the latest releases in apocalyptic literature. If a new book pops up on our doom-o-scope we'll drop a mention in. If you are an author of an upcoming Doomsday Book, or know of one, then drop us a line.

So the first one up is:

The End of the World: From Revelation to Eco-Disaster
by Simon Pearson

Reviewed at the Guardian

Also listed on Amazon with the much more impressive title:

A Brief History of the End of the World: Apocalyptic Beliefs from Revelation to UFO Cults
http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Brief-History-End-World-Apocalyptic-Beliefs-Revelation-UFO-Cults/dp/0786718250/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Brief-History-End-World/dp/1845291603/

He is also the author of Total War 2006:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Total-War-2006/dp/0340748567/

Bush praises leading US Zionist

2006-08-20T16:02:00.000Z

On the August 15 edition of Fox News' Your World, host Neil Cavuto interviewed evangelical pastor John Hagee regarding the recent United Nations-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, providing him with a platform to advocate for a U.S. foreign policy strategy consistent with the apocalyptic vision - which went unmentioned - illustrated in his book which foreshadows a nuclear showdown with Iran that "could ... be the beginning of the end."

During the interview, Hagee argued that "the moment they feel that Iran has a nuclear device, [the United States and Israel] need to take out the nuclear capabilities of that country." Hagee also predicted that Israel "will bomb the nuclear facilities in Iran" if they acquire nuclear capabilities and even asserted that "Iran will use nuclear weapons against Israel and ... against the United States of America." In addition, Cavuto failed to note that Hagee has led an intense lobbying effort on Capitol Hill to present government officials with his message of Armageddon, or that Hagee's efforts have been praised by President Bush and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX).

Wall Street Journal correspondent Andrew Higgins reported on July 27 that a group of evangelical Christians "mobilized" by Hagee undertook "a lobbying blitz through the Capitol," and "peppered" members of Congress with "arguments for Israel and against its enemies, particularly Iran." Noting that Hagee is a leading proponent of the belief that "Israel's struggles signal a prelude to Armageddon," Higgins reported that Hagee's July 16-18 Christians United for Israel event in Washington featured a speech by DeLay and that "President Bush sent a message" to those attending, "praising Mr. Hagee and his supporters for 'spreading the hope of God's love and the universal gift of freedom' ":

Mr. Hagee is a leading figure in the so-called Christian-Zionist movement. This evangelical political philosophy is rooted in biblical prophecies and a belief that Israel's struggles signal a prelude to Armageddon. Its followers staunchly support the Bush administration's unequivocal backing of Israel in its current battle with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
President Bush sent a message to the gathering praising Mr. Hagee and his supporters for "spreading the hope of God's love and the universal gift of freedom."

Higgins's article also documented other "close ties" Hagee maintained with Bush and DeLay. Higgins wrote that Hagee met President Bush "several times while he was Texas governor and solidly supported his push for the White House" but that Hagee "was closer" to DeLay, who delivered "the keynote speech at Mr. Hagee's 2002 pro-Israel gathering in San Antonio." Hagee's website notes the attendance of several prominent Republicans and leaders of the Religious Right at the Christians United for Israel event, including Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-TX), Rev. Jerry Falwell, and Gary Bauer, who served as undersecretary of education and domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan before heading the Family Research Council from 1988 to 2000. Following the conference, Higgins reported, Hagee "mobilized evangelicals representing all 50 states" for the Capitol Hill "lobbying blitz."

As Media Matters for America noted, Christian author Joel C. Rosenberg - another prominent backer of the theory that Armageddon is approaching - claims that he was invited to the White House, Capitol Hill, and the CIA to discuss the Rapture and the Middle East.

No, no, it's going to be on September 12 ...

2006-08-17T15:49:00.000Z

Many thanks to Moriyah for her e-mail about Yisrayl Hawkins, the "well known Bible Scholar and prolific author". Apparently, in his latest monthly newsletter he reports that "Nuclear War will start on September 12, 2006. This is quite a startling statement."

You said it, sister!

The newsletter, if you're interested, is here.

Mr Hawkins' newsletter has been distributed by the House of Yahweh, though we're not sure if it's the same House of Yahweh we reported in this post ...

Let us not pray ...

2006-08-17T14:25:00.000Z

With the apocalyptic hysteria seemingly* reaching fever pitch with the on-going crisis in the Middle East, you'd be forgiven for thinking the global Christian community was actively wanting God to usher in Armageddon and end the world ...

One commentator** claims it's un-Christian to pray for the End Times, believing that the many evangelicals who talk up war between Israel and other Islamic countries in order to bring about the end times are doing so as part of an effort to ignore more earthly problems, the solving of which Christian values suggest should be the devout's true calling ...

* we use 'seemingly' simply because we've only got the US media to go on and, well, they're not exactly known for showing the whole picture.
** I warn you now, she's no fan of the Bush administration

One to watch ... or watch out for

2006-08-17T14:20:00.000Z

Far be it from us - of all people - to accuse someone of apocalyptic hyperbole, but the blurb for a forthcoming show on US network ABC does seem a tad ... overblown ...

Advertising "Last Days on Earth," a special 2-hour edition of "20/20," on Wednesday, August 30, the trailer claims that:

"For thousands of years, different religions have warned Earth about Armageddon and the final days. We are now living in an age where scientists are adding their voices and their evidence in support of end-of-the-world possibilities."
"Last Days on Earth" is a program that could change the way you see your world and yourself.
The world's top scientists, including Stephen Hawking, considered the foremost living theoretical physicist, describe seven riveting scenarios detailing the deadliest threats to humanity.
Some can destroy the planet, others have the ability to render us extinct, and all have the power to destroy civilization.
How likely are they to occur, and what exactly would happen if they did, and could we survive?
"Last Days on Earth" goes beyond science fiction to science fact.
Using state-of-the-art visual effects, it will take viewers on a journey that is both breathtaking and terrifying, from the outer reaches of the universe to the inner world of DNA, with an around-the-globe tour in between.
"Of all the generations of humans that have walked the surface of the Earth — for 100,000 years, going back when we first left Africa — the generation now alive is the most important," said Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at City University of New York.
"The generation now alive, the generation that you see, looking around you, for the first time in history, is the generation that controls the destiny of the planet itself."

Two hours seems a little optimistic, don't you think ...

End of the world 'in less than a week'

2006-08-16T08:32:00.000Z

Don't be tempted to cancel those holidays, but we now have another date for Armageddon - August 22.

The prediction by American 'political scientist' Bernard Lewis, President Bush's favourite historian, in the Wall Street Journal is the culmination of the current crisis over Israel and Lebanon (as well as the continuing issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions), which has seen some claim that the US is seeking to draw Iran into the conflict as a pretext for invasion.

August 22 is the 'deadline' the Bush administration has been given by Iranian president Mr Ahmadinejad for his 'final answer' to the US about his country's nuclear development
Lewis says: "What is the significance of August 22? This year, August 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 (cf, Koran XVII.1). This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and, if necessary, of the world."
Normally, this kind of Bible Code-esque mumbo-jumbo scaremongering could be safely ignored. But let us not forget that many right-wing Christians - spurred on by a mainstream media seemingly obsessed with The Rapture - have been getting themselves into an apocalyptic froth recently, meaning such 'predictions' have a willing and gullable audience.

Disturbingly, the Guardian reports that the 90-year-old Professor Lewis is, "feted by the White House (vice-president Dick Cheney was guest of honour at his birthday party in April), and the Wall Street Journal describes him as "a sage". He is credited with coining the phrase "clash of civilisations" back in 1990 and now seems intent on making it a reality."

News category: Alarmism (characterised by images and words of catastrophe)

Do panic! Do panic!

2006-08-15T11:39:00.000Z

While we're busy talking about where the next apocalyptic threat might come from, spare a thought for those poor souls who have to try and plan for them. Here's an excellent feature on emergency planners and their craft.

Their motto is, apparently, "believe it might happen."

As well as your more regular and small-scale disasters, they also have to consider more apocalyptic scenarios (hence our interest), specifically asteroid strikes:

When is the next one coming? "These things aren't like bus timetables", says Tate. "They're like the buses. They're totally random."
But that doesn't mean we can't do anything. He argues that as long as monitoring of the skies provides advance warning of about 50 years or so, we could send up a device to knock the asteroid off its course with planet earth.
Does the asteroid threat strike you as improbable? Jay Tate says you should pick up some binoculars and look at the pock-marked surface of the moon. Basically we're sitting in the same rifle range

Eep!

News category: Alarmism (characterised by images and words of catastrophe)

Update: License payers can "listen again" online.

Computer models predict 200 years of hurt ...

2006-08-15T10:24:00.000Z

Rising temperatures will increase the risk of forest fires, droughts and flooding over the next two centuries, UK climate scientists have warned.

Even if harmful emissions were cut now, many parts of the world would face a greater risk of natural disasters, a team from Bristol University said.

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The projections are based on data from more than 50 climate models looking at the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

From now on, I think we'll start categorising these articles based on the earlier findings of the IPPR survey, so ...

News category: Alarmism (images and words of catastrophe)

Uranium shipment 'headed for Iran' claims UN report

2006-08-09T13:47:00.000Z

Iran has been accused of seeking to import large consignments of bomb-making uranium from the African mining area that produced the Hiroshima bomb.

The Sunday Times claims a United Nations report, dated July 18, said there was “no doubt” that a huge shipment of smuggled uranium 238, uncovered by customs officials in Tanzania, was transported from the Lubumbashi mines in the Congo. Tanzanian customs officials said it was destined for the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, and was stopped on October 22 last year during a routine check.

Iran is locked in a long tussle with Europe and the US over its nuclear ambitions. The stakes have been raised, however, because of the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, which threatens to pull other nations into the conflict.

And our survey says ...

2006-08-09T13:43:00.000Z

After Stephen Hawking's 'big question' - "In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?" - stirring up an internet storm that saw more than 25,000 people log on to give their deeply-considered views, the world held its breath to hear the solution from one of its greatest thinkers ...

So what was Hawking's answer?

"I don't know the answer. That is why I asked the question."

Priceless.

Hot talk costs lives ...

2006-08-03T09:53:00.000Z

Apocalyptic visions of climate change used by newspapers, environmental groups and the UK government amount to "climate porn", a think-tank has said.

The report from the Labour-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says over-use of alarming images is a "counsel of despair". It says they make people feel helpless and says the use of cataclysmic imagery is partly commercially motivated.

They analysed 600 newspaper and magazine articles, as well as broadcast news and adverts. Coverage breaks down, they concluded, into several distinct areas, including:
* Alarmism, characterised by images and words of catastrophe
* Settlerdom, in which "common sense" is used to argue against the scientific consensus
* Rhetorical scepticism, which argues the science is bad and the dangers hyped
* Techno-optimism, the argument that technology can solve the problem.

An issue we'll be covering in next issue, methinks ...

Hunker in your bunker ...

2006-08-02T15:14:00.000Z

If you ever thought the end of the Cold War meant the days of nuclear shelters were over, think again. Chinese authorities have constructed a massive underground bunker complex capable of sheltering 200,000 people from a nuclear attack under Shanghai.

Don't worry, be happy ...

2006-07-28T12:20:00.000Z

Worried by the apocalyptic hysteriaof the moment? Want to avoid Armageddon? One commentator thinks it's simple - become an atheist

Here is the news ... we're doomed!!!

2006-07-27T23:15:00.000Z

US news network CNN has been criticised for hosting a debate on whether the current situation in the Middle East is part of The End and for its habit of discussing the ongoing unrest in apocalyptic terms. While it's worrying that the issue keeps cropping up on the station, it's surely just part of the growing apocalyptic hysteria in the US, egged on by Tim DeLay's rapture-inspired best sellers, a right-wing ultra-pro-Israeli Christian president and a tendency of news networks to hype everything to its maximum extent ...

Kenyan doomsday sect prepares for nuclear Armageddon

2006-07-21T16:00:00.000Z

Members of a religious sect in central Kenya are bracing themselves for a nuclear war they predict will take place no later than 12 September 2006.

This is the doomsday warning issued by the cult's spiritual leader Yisrayl Hawkins, who is based in the United States but traces his origins back to Israel.

Kenyan followers of the House of Yahweh are taking his words seriously and have begun building special shelters to protect themselves.

House of Yahweh is the latest, but intriguing, sect to have emerged onto Kenya's packed religious scene, where more than 100 groups are now registered by the Kenyan government. Its members live by their holy book's 613 laws, claiming their sect is "the one true faith" which will be re-established in what they term "the last days". Members refer to their creator as Yahweh, not God, and the male followers all sport long goatee beards.

Africa has a long history of doomsday sects. Six years ago, Ugandans were shocked by a tragic end to a doomsday prediction when, after the world failed to end in December 1999 as predicted by the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God, hundreds of the sect's followers were found murdered four months later.

The head of the Church of God in East Africa, Dr Byrum Makhokha, has condemned the sect, rightly pointing out that according to the Bible, no human being can predict the end of the world. He urged Kenyans to ignore such prophesies.

Missing you ...

2006-07-21T15:55:00.000Z

Our luck is holding - earlier this month saw was the latest chapter in Earth's long history of just missing being smacked by an asteroid. According to The Independent, XP14 passed within 1.1 times the moon's average distance from the earth - just 432,000km.

One of 782 known The Near Earth Objects (NEOs), XP14 has an estimated diameter of up to 800 metres, enough to have wiped out a small country if it had hit.

Strange creatures and WWIII

2006-07-18T14:01:00.000Z

Leading crytpozoologist Loren Coleman has taken the opportunity provided by the worsening situation in the Middle East to ponder on the implications of WWIII for the study of strange creatures.

Leading Republican announces start of WWIII

2006-07-18T13:49:00.000Z

As previously noted there have been rumblings about the start of WWIII (leaving aside how woefully out on the numbering they are - you'd think warmongers would have read TEIN issue #2!!! Only a couple of issues left and being the War special issue we'd imagine they are going to be snatched up - so save your hide and buy it now!!!).

Now more seasoned political veterans are jumping on the bandwagon:

[J]ust yesterday Sunday June 16, New[t] Gingrich, former House Speaker and still a darling of the GOP right, stated as a matter of fact on Meet that Press that a new war is already underway in the Middle East. It is, he insists, already a world war. “THIS IS, IN FACT, WORLD WAR 3,” he said for emphasis, with no regrets and an apparent longing to “bring it on.”

Columnist Dave Postman elaborated on his message in his Seattle Times blog:

"Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich says America is in World War III and President Bush should say so. In an interview in Bellevue this morning Gingrich said Bush should call a joint session of Congress the first week of September and talk about global military conflicts in much starker terms than have been heard from the president.

"We need to have the militancy that says 'We're not going to lose a city,'" Gingrich said. He talks about the need to recognize World War III as important for military strategy and political strategy.

“Gingrich said he is "very worried" about Republicans facing fall elections and says the party must have the "nerve" to nationalize the elections and make the 2006 campaigns about a liberal Democratic agenda rather than about President Bush's record.”

Mmm…, a world war to save the Bush Administration? How convenient.

But there is more. The always aggressive and often obnoxious Prince of Darkness, Richard Perle, a leading booster of war on Iraq, is now lobbying the Administration to finish off the “axis of evil.” In print pieces and TV appearances, he is calling for a wider war now.

Hold on. Also on Meet The Press, Martin Fletcher, the NBC veteran Israel correspondent revealed that the Israeli war plan that is now being carried out is not simply a response to current risks or attacks, and that it has been FIVE years in the making. It was a plan just looking for a pretext.

...

Summer is often called the silly season. While the Bush Administration is losing one war in Iraq, and another with public opinion here at home, it seems to be opting for more conflicts as its backers bang the drum for a new world war.

Years ago, Che Guevara called for “I, 2, 3” Vietnams. The Busheviks today may be moving toward ‘1, 2, 3’ world wars.

Sound crazy? In our Orwellian political climate, a new generation of Dr Strangelove’s are in command. Only this time, they don’t act like loonies but have mastered the art of the TV interview and can, with selective facts and ideology packaged as information, make insanity sound oh so sane.

THE END IS NIGH!

Calling all filmmakers, musicians and animators!

Doomsday Books #2

'Doomsday clock' could shift forward for first time since 2001

Russian says comet to hit this month

Contribute to THE END IS NIGH! #4 ...

An amusing diversion ... or a horrific warning - you decide! ;)

Kenyan cult confused

Baldrick's Guide to the Apocalypse

Apocalyptic mass-suicide fears after arrest of polygamous cult leader

Doomsday edges closer for Sarin attack cult leader

Still waiting ...

Doomsday Books #1

Bush praises leading US Zionist

No, no, it's going to be on September 12 ...

Let us not pray ...

One to watch ... or watch out for

End of the world 'in less than a week'

Do panic! Do panic!

Computer models predict 200 years of hurt ...

Uranium shipment 'headed for Iran' claims UN report

And our survey says ...

Hot talk costs lives ...

Hunker in your bunker ...

Don't worry, be happy ...

Here is the news ... we're doomed!!!

Kenyan doomsday sect prepares for nuclear Armageddon

Missing you ...

Strange creatures and WWIII

Leading Republican announces start of WWIII

More ice falls

Vallee and the Singularity

Thanks

The sky is falling!

Which war are we on?

Rumble in the jungle

Armageddon - the boardgame!

Red rain not an alien invasion?

Bird flu mutates

YouTube apocalypse

Watch the world die

Microsoft's Robot Army

Clowns try to steal nuke

Fighting asteroids with asteroids

Apocalypse Soon

Doomsday safe

Are we alone in the Universe?

Nostradamus predicts WWIII?

An Introduction to Planetary Defense

Computers to the rescue

The birth of Skynet?

Ancient American supernova

Stephen Hawking says run for your lives

Demographics of doom

The smoking crater?

Bird flu spreading between humans

Invaders from outer space

Astronomer apologies for scaring the crap out of everyone

The Man Who Saved the World

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Welcome to the beginning of the end