Maya prophecies: What were they thinking?

As the clock winds down to Dec. 21, experts on the Maya calendar have been racing to convince people that the Maya didn't predict an apocalypse for the end of this year.

Some experts are now saying the Maya may indeed have made prophecies, just not about the end of the world.

Archaeologists, anthropologists and other experts met Friday in the southern Mexico city of Merida to discuss the implications of the Maya Long Count calendar, which is made up of 394-year periods called baktuns.

Experts estimate the system starts counting at 3114 B.C., and will have run through 13 baktuns, or 5,125 years, around Dec. 21. Experts say 13 was a significant number for the Maya, and the end of that cycle would be a milestone ? but not an end.

Fears that the calendar does point to the end have circulated in recent years. People in that camp believe the Maya may have been privy to impending astronomical disasters that would coincide with 2012, ranging from explosive storms on the surface of the sun that could knock out power grids to a galactic alignment that could trigger a reversal in Earth's magnetic field.

Mexican government archaeologist Alfredo Barrera said Friday that the Maya tried to make predictions, but perhaps about more humdrum events like droughts or disease outbreaks.

"The Mayas did make prophecies, but not in a fatalistic sense, but rather about events that, in their cyclical conception of history, could be repeated in the future," said Barrera, of the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Experts stressed that the ancient Maya, whose "classic" culture of writing, astronomy and temple complexes flourished from the year 300 to 900, were extremely interested in future events, far beyond Dec. 21.

"There are many ancient Maya monuments that discuss events far into the future from now," wrote Geoffrey Braswell, an anthropologist at the University of California at San Diego. "The ancient Maya clearly believed things would happen far into the future from now."

"The king of Palenque, K'inich Hanaab Pakal, believed he would return to the Earth a couple of thousand years from now in the future," Braswell wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "Moreover, other monuments discuss events even before the creation in 3114 B.C."

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Only a couple of references to the 2012 date equivalency have been found carved in stone at Maya sites, and neither refers to an apocalypse, experts say.

Such apocalyptic visions have been common for more than 1,000 years in Western, Christian thinking, and are not native to Maya thought.

"This is thinking that, in truth, has nothing to do with Mayan culture," said Alexander Voss, an anthropologist at the University Of Quintana Roo, a state on Mexico's Caribbean coast. "This thing about looking for end-times is not something that comes from Mayan culture."

Braswell compared the Maya calendar, with its system of cycles within cycles, to the series of synchronized wheels contained in old, analogue car odometers.

"The Maya long count system is like a car odometer," Braswell wrote. "My first car (odometer) only had six wheels so it went up to 99,999.9 miles. That didn't mean the car would explode after reaching 100,000 miles."

More about the Maya and 2012:

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49224135/ns/technology_and_science-science/

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Kosovo PM: EU-led talks with Serbia must happen

UNITED NATIONS (AP) ? Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said Kosovo and Serbia must normalize relations soon to begin integrating with Europe, but he insisted that partition of his country's Serb-dominated northern enclave "will never happen."

Kosovo's flag does not fly at the United Nations, where Thaci met with EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and U.S. officials on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly ministerial meeting.

The European Union is trying to broker talks next month between Kosovo and Serbia, which also wants to join the bloc. The EU is expected to push for a resolution on Kosovo's tense north, where the young country has little control over ethnic Serbs who suffered reprisal attacks after the province broke away from Serbia and reject the authority of the ethnic Albanian-dominated government in Pristina.

"Kosovo is determined for dialogue with Serbia, for normalization of relations," Thaci said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press. "Kosovo will benefit, Serbia will benefit. It will mean an end to the era of conflicts in the region and a faster process of integration of all countries."

The nation of about 2 million people, predominantly ethnic Albanians of Muslim faith, belongs to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, but cannot have its own telephone prefix because it does not belong to the United Nations. The International Olympic Committee rejected its bid to participate in this summer's London Olympics, but FIFA has ruled that its members can play soccer matches against Kosovo.

Over 90 countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, including much of Europe, and the number will soon top 100, Thaci said.

Serbia insists it will never recognize Kosovo, which it views as a national heartland, but the EU wants Belgrade to normalize ties with Pristina as a precondition for EU membership.

Thaci and Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic did not meet at the United Nations, though they both attended a reception for European leaders, where the newly-elected Serbian nationalist left without speaking to his counterpart.

Despite the snub, Thaci said he was eager for negotiations with Serbia.

"We need to start," he said. "The more delays we face, the more difficult this process will become. Therefore both Kosovo and Serbia should fight to catch up, in order to have a faster integration process."

Kosovo will soon find out if it is on the right track toward integration. The EU is slated to release a report Oct. 10 on Kosovo's progress on preparing for a Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step in the long path to membership.

Earlier this month, in a sign of confidence that Kosovo has matured since its unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, a 25-nation group made up of the U.S., Turkey and EU countries formally ended supervision of the fragile state, which it had guided since the end of its bloody war with Serbia.

A massive international presence remains, however. About, 5,600 NATO-led peacekeepers are still in charge of security and a 3,000-strong EU mission has the final say in legal matters. Corruption, organized crime, smuggling and high unemployment remain huge problems.

"We have worked very hard, but I am aware that we need to do more," Thaci said. "We are now seen by the world as a normal functioning country."

The world, however, has not allowed Kosovo into the United Nations. The Kosovars were on the outside looking in as Vuk Jeremic, the former Serbian foreign minister and new president of the General Assembly, presided over the U.N.'s annual gathering of world leaders.

Kosovo's membership at the U.N. has been blocked by an ally of Serbia: Russia, a veto power-wielding member of the Security Council, which must approve any new members.

"After normalization of relations with Serbia the path to the U.N. will be opened," Thaci said.

There has been some progress. Kosovo citizens can now travel to Serbia with their own ID card, but not with Kosovo car plates. Serbia has agreed to accept Kosovo university diplomas, and will participate at regional meetings alongside Kosovo as long as there is an asterisk on Kosovo's name that refers to its international status.

The fate of Kosovo's Orthodox Christian Serbs and the firm grip that Serbia has on northern Kosovo are the main sticking points. Some Serbian officials have said that partition is the best solution, but Thaci said that redrawing any borders would set a dangerous precedent for the Balkans.

He said Serbs in northern Kosovo must integrate into Kosovar society, but that task has been made more difficult because they "have been deceived now for 12 years by Belgrade that there will be partition. That will never happen. Partition implies changing the borders for a minimum six countries."

Another source of division is a 2010 Council of Europe report by Swiss politician Dick Marty that alleges the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army, including Thaci, killed Serbian civilian captives during the 1990s and sold their organs. Albania and Kosovo have repeatedly denied the claims.

Earlier this month, a Serbian prosecutor said that a witness came forward and testified "in detail" about the allegations, which the European Union is now investigating.

Thaci dismissed the claims as "science fiction," though he acknowledged "they have harmed my image, and the image of Kosovo."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kosovo-pm-eu-led-talks-serbia-must-happen-044526820.html

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Christina Aguilera's 'Your Body': As Bad As Her Baddest Videos?

In celebration of Aguilera's return, here's a look back at just how bad she can really be.
By James Montgomery


Christina Aguilera in her "Your Body" video
Photo: RCA / Sony Music Entertainment

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694581/christina-aguilera-your-body-dirrty-music-videos.jhtml

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Jack Russell Puppies - For Sale Holbeach, Lincolnshire Dragon ...

Home ? Puppies & Pet Adverts ? Puppy or Pet For Sale

Jack Russell Puppies - New

Short legged Jack Russell puppies for sale! 2 Boys left, 10 weeks old. Tri-coloured.

Mum and dad can be seen. Lovely temperaments, good with children and other dogs.

Been wormed, defleaed & claws trimmed. No time wasters. Ring or email if interested.

Price: ?130

Location: Holbeach, Lincolnshire

Contact: Diana T

Phone: 07754 546172

Jack Russell Puppies

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Kittens

Beautiful litter of b/w kittens, 8 weeks old. Mum is British Blue Cream.

All eating wet and dry food. Very pretty, happy playful kittens.

All using tray with no accidents. Price to ensure good homes.

Price: ?50

Location: Sawston Cambridge

Contact: Sally

Phone: 01223 830692
Mobile: 07816 323642

Email:Email Address

Kittens

2 gorgeous kittens looking for new homes. 2 black & white fluffy kittens about 12 weeks old. Friendly and easy to handle and come when called at food time!

Both happily eating proper food & getting very adventurous. Currently on a farm and showing signs of being good hunters! Environmentally friendly vermin control, what could be better?

Please phone Julia. Free to good homes but donations please to Cats Protection League. ?20

Price: ?20 donation

Location: Huntingdon

Contact: Julia

Phone: 07881 950165

Email:Email Address

Lurcher Puppies

3/4 Italian Greyhound X Whippet. Two beautiful bitches, one blue with four white paws and white bib with white tipped tail, one fawn with slight blue on spine going onto tail, snip of a white bib.

Home reared and mother is our pet and can be seen. Would make loving pets are good workers.

These pups have been wormed and will be ready in 3 weeks.

Price: ?450

Location: Gt Yarmouth

Contact: Jan

Phone: 07713 990322

Chihuahua Puppies

Beautiful tea cup Chihuahua puppies. Outstanding colours, chocolate, cream, black and gold.

Both parents KC registered and family pets. Health checked, wormed and Frontlined by vet.

One month's free insurance with petplan. Boys and girls. Wonderful temperaments.

Price: ?500

Location: Essex

Contact: Mrs Brown

Phone: 01268 751188

Cocker Spaniel Puppies

Cocker Spaniels, blue roan boys and girls.

Ready now, wormed and eating well. Raised with children

Price: ?350

Location: Kings Lynn, Norfolk

Contact: Luke - T

Phone: 07770 368339

Labrador Puppies

Labrador Puppies, black and yellow, boys and girls, 8 weeks old.

Weaned and wormed, ready now. Brought up with children

Price: ?250

Location: Kings Lynn, Norfolk

Contact: Laura - T

Phone: 07796 053731

Lakeland x Patterdale Puppies

Lakeland x Patterdale puppies for sale. Good working types.

Ready now. Tan and black. Good strong pups.

Weaned, wormed and defleaed

Price: ?200 ono

Location: Kings Lynn, Norfolk

Contact: Laura

Phone: 07425 857331

Chinese Crested x Lhasa Apso Puppies

Chinese Crested cross Lhasa Apso. Adorable Cresty-lala puppies. Born and reared in the home with other pets by experienced ethical breeder.

Come vaccinated, chipped, insured, vet checked with signed health certificate, a lifetime of support, a care sheet, return contract (in case anything ever goes wrong) and a supply of their food. 4 generations kept.

Price: ?495

Location: Wisbech, Cambs

Contact: Molly Thompson - T

Phone: 07748 351953

Email:Email Address

Border X Cairn Terrier Puppies

Border Terrier x Cairn Terrier puppies, chunky little pups.

Brought up on farm, well socialized, love children.

Make good pets or workers. 3 dogs and 1 bitch.

Price: ?200

Location: Kings Lynn

Contact: Gypsycobs - T

Phone: 07500 620251

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Source: http://www.dragondriving.co.uk/puppiesforsale-41576.html

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WHAT IS PERSONALIZED NUMBER PLATES AND CRITERIA FOR MAKING IT

Apart from the standard numberplates you may have personalized numberplates. It can be a combination of text and numbers up to seven letters. In Sweden it costs 6000 Kr to get personalized plates. These plates ?

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The Las Vegas Badger: Good For Hobby Lobby

From the Deseret News:
Craft store chain Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Obama administration's requirement that most health insurance plans cover contraceptives for women, citing the owner's religious beliefs and opposition to covering abortion-inducing drugs.

The rule change took effect for businesses on Aug. 1, and requires coverage for sterilization, contraception and some abortion-causing drugs. Hobby Lobby is the largest and only non-Catholic-owned business to file a lawsuit against the mandate thus far, joining 26 other separate lawsuits. A variety of religious groups have pushed back against the rule, saying it is a violation of their fundamental right to religious freedom.

Critics of the mandate have pointed out that while there are exemptions for places of worship, the exemptions are so narrow that they would disqualify those who serve people outside of their faith, like Mother Teresa and Jesus Christ. Religiously affiliated organizations such as hospitals, school and charities are not exempted, and non-profits have until Aug. 1, 2013, to comply.

Hobby Lobby CEO and founder David Green credits God's grace and provision with Hobby Lobby's success, and said the company cannot abandon its religious standards in order to comply with the mandate.

"We seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles," Green said. "The conflict for me is that our family is being forced to choose between following the laws of the country that we love, or maintaining the religious beliefs that have made our business successful and have supported our family and thousands of our employees and their families."? http://www.chron.com/news/article/Pastors-protest-Hobby-Lobby-on-morning-after-pill-3899201.php

I hope Hobby Lobby wins their suit as ObamaCare is clearly unconstitutional when it comes to forcing people to fund insurance benefits that violate their personal beliefs.

I know there is a Hobby Lobby in Henderson, by Best Buy on sunset.? I've been there once, but it is not the kind of hobbies I engage in, but if you like doing arts and crafts, check them out and support them in their fight against the Federal government.

Source: http://lasvegasbadger.blogspot.com/2012/09/good-for-hobby-lobby.html

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NJ woman accused of cancer scam for wedding, cash

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) ? When Lori Stilley told her friends and family that she had bladder cancer, they delivered meals, held raffles and a T-shirt sale, hastily planned and paid for her wedding and raised more than $10,000 for her treatment.

But prosecutors say it was all a scam.

Stilley, a 40-year-old who lives in Delran, N.J., was charged Wednesday with theft by deception, charges her lawyer denies.

Authorities say she told family and friends in February 2011 that she had stage 3 bladder cancer and would need chemotherapy and radiation. Two months later, she told them ? and posted on her Facebook page and personal website ? that it was now stage 4, which means the cancer was spreading to other parts of her body.

Her friends and supporters pitched in the way people often do for sick loved ones: making a schedule of meal deliveries and ? when she said she didn't have medical insurance ? raising money.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said family and friends also hastily planned and paid for her wedding to her boyfriend last year.

Stilley even wrote an e-book about her experience. They say "I'mpossible: How A Facebook Group Loved Me Through Bladder Cancer," selling for $14.99 a copy, raised more than $3,000.

Her own sister says she was the one who turned in Stilley. Lori DiGiovanni told WCAU-TV that she became suspicious when Stilley's story changed quickly. Soon after telling friends and family that she was making hospice plans and was being given a month to live, she posted on Facebook that she felt a miracle coming and was feeling better.

DiGiovanni said she believes her sister needs mental-health help.

Stilley's lawyer, however, said she did not do anything wrong.

"The Prosecutor's Office has not presented me with any competent evidence that would lead me to believe they are able to prove my client did anything wrong," Adam Malamut told the Burlington County Times in a story published Thursday. "The only evidence I'm aware of are statements made that I believe to be slanderous in nature from a family member with whom she's had a fractured relationship."

Stilley was arrested Wednesday and released on bail of $25,000.

"For this defendant to represent that she was dying from this terrible disease for the sake of personal gain and sympathy goes way beyond simply being a criminal offense," Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said in a statement, "it was extremely cruel to those who were concerned and worked hard to lend assistance."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nj-woman-accused-cancer-scam-wedding-cash-115325936.html

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