Duncan Gillies: At least someone can profit from doom

It seems the countdown has begun: 2012 is just around the corner and if the doomsayers are right, terrible times lie ahead.

I'm not talking about the possible release of Sex and the City 3, or Sarah Palin being elected President of the United States. I'm not even talking about the possibility of the All Blacks being beaten by France in the final of the World Cup in October and Graham Henry next year being reappointed coach so he can guide the side through to 2015.

No, I'm talking about something that, depending on how you look at it, could be a whole lot worse. That's right, the end of the world.

Many believe the world will end on December 21, when the current 5125-year-long cycle in the ancient Mayan calendar ends.

However, it seems 2012ers, as they have been labelled, think they have a chance of surviving Armageddon if they are in the right place. And top of the list of their preferred destinations is Bugarach, a farming community in the Aude region of southwestern France.

Now, I imagine there's a great marketing opportunity for the French here. I bet package tours that take in all the sights people should see before the world ends would be a sure-fire hit. The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower would sit comfortably at the top of the list. And Bugarach locals could also cash in by renting out their homes.

But it seems the Mayor of Bugarach, Jean-Pierre Delord, is unhappy about all the attention his village, with a population of about 200, is attracting.

"A few hundred coming every year isn't a problem, is it? But we mustn't have thousands coming altogether," he told French radio station RTL.

One of the attractions of Bugarach is the Pic de Bugarach, the highest mountain in the wine-growing area of Corbieres. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that some visitors believe aliens are hiding under the mountain and will emerge in the final days and may take some lucky humans with them. Things could get ugly, though. Delord has considered calling in the army to keep the situation under control.

I'm not sure if the Mayans talked about aliens but they definitely had a complex and sophisticated culture as well as some brutal, primitive practices. They understood the concepts of time and the cycles of the night sky and lived in functioning cities but conducted rituals that involved tearing out the hearts of those being sacrificed. They built elaborate pyramid temples and made chocolate, but failed to come up with Toblerone. With a calendar whose current cycle began on August 11, 3114 BC, I hate to imagine what their year planners looked like.

I doubt, though, that they pencilled in the end of the world for December 21, 2012.

Nasa's website also pours cold water on the idea of catastrophic events next year. It says the story began with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, was headed toward Earth, with impact predicted for May 2003. When nothing happened, the date was moved forward to December 2012. It was then these two stories were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the Mayan calendar.

"Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012," the people at Nasa say on the space agency's website. But then again, that's what you'd expect them to say.

There are also those watching the Mayan calendar who believe 2012 will just be a time of great change, and, having consulted the stars, I tend to agree with them. I have already checked out my horoscope for next year and it talks of big decisions, new opportunities and a long journey. Mmmm, France would be nice, but if I go I'll be staying away from Bugarach.