Questions regarding the events of 2012?

I've heard alarming evidence that suggests it's possible that terrible things will happen on 2012 ... the kinds of things that kill of the majority of earth's population. I know this doesn't sound like astronomy so far, but the Mayan calendar ends in the year 2012, with predictions of some sort of event happening. There's this one man - a phD - who wrote a book on it (I haven't read it personally), called "How to Surivive 2012" He says that there will be a major shift in the earth's poles (caused by ... sunspots, I think he said), which will cause floods, tsunamis, earthquakes so massive that whole mountain ranges form and others cease to exist, etc. I've emailed NASA asking if this is possible, but I've yet to hear from them. What do you think? Is there evidence to support this, or is this doctor a fraud?

Questions regarding the events of 2012?home theater

I think the Mayans were just tired of writing...like they finally went, "Oh, crap...we can't POSSIBLY survive past 2012. We gotta stop sometime!" Then they just stopped writing.

Questions regarding the events of 2012?comedy club opera theater

Y2K was the end of the life as we know it....how did you manage to survive it? Live life and enjoy cause no guarantees of tomorrow.
everyone has their theories. Personally, i don't think terrible things will happen in 2012, but, as some say, prepare for the worst, hope for the best. That's what ill be doing if i heard any conformation.
Other cultures have talked of this as well. The Hopi Native American tribe of the American south west says that in the year 2012, the 4th world will end and the 5th world will begin. They believe that the Earth has had a series of different races that have lived on this planet (thus explaining the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd worlds), but other than the dinosaurs existing before our time, there is no scientific evidence pointing to possible "past worlds". See you on the other side of the apocalypse...
Based on mathematical models... nothing will happen. A lot of people want something to happen because there is a trend in our society to believe everything must change.

The Mayans actually predicted the end of the world sometime between Dec 13 - Dec 24 , 2011 not Dec 21, 2012. They showed the calendar through Dec 21, 2012 because it is the end of their 13th Baktun not the end of the world.
From what I've heard what you described will happen is just a theory of a worst case scenario but scientists say it's highly unlikely a shift in the earth's poles will have any effect on the environment. Like right now scientists are saying the volcano under Yellowstone National Park is due for a major eruption because every 200,000 year or so there's been major volcanic activities in that area but it's only a theory and for all they know something major can happen today or in another 10,000 years so it's not based on accurate calculations.
if you got that from i am legend the movie its not true. if you got it from anywhere else its not true. Gods gotaa plan for all of us and only He nos when our life personally will end you never no. i mean your life could end in a year for all you no...
Your PhD must have gotten his degree out of a catalog..!

True, the ancient Mayan calendar ends in 2012, but if the ancient Mayans were still around they'd simply start another one. We end / start our calendar too, just on a different time scale than the ancients.

No accredited archaelogist specializing in the Mayan civilization has interpreted their ancient calendar or anything else about their culture that says they were predicting the end of the world.

Sunspots can not cause floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, diaper rash or anything else here on Earth except for brief disruptions of radio / tv communications and a stray power outage or two.

What *will* happen in 2012, besides the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, is that our sun will briefly align with the galactic equator. This has happened countless times in Earth's history with absolutely no effect on us or our planet. No mysterious but unspecified forces will come flashing out from the center of our galaxy to wreck Earth.

One of the many assorted catastrophes that the wackos writing these books claim will happen is a reversal of Earth's magnetic poles. Just more nonsense. Earth's magnetic has indeed reversed many times in the past, and will do so again, but it takes thousands of years for the cycle to complete. It's not an instantaneous event.

Be smart...relax and put all that unscientific crap out of your mind.
There are several theories on these apocalyptic scenarios. Supposedly, we're getting a massive solar storm in 2010..i'd be kinda worried about that.
2012 will very likely come and go without much happening. Some people just like to go crazy and want others to go too.
Well I heard something about somebody predict that life would come to an end early in 2007, but has it happened? No. But if you think about it, it is very scary because this stuff could happen at any time. I am only 13 and I have a long time to live and something like that may happen in my generation.
NASA probably threw that email in the trash. It's unwarranted (to them) and they have other things (like a lack of cash and serious math problems) to deal with.

But let me take a stab. I agree that the end to the calender was just a "damnit I need a break" moment. I mean, our calenders end every December 31st and nothing happens. The fact that some say it ends on the 20th or so makes that seem even more likely since that's the solstice and a good stopping point. (Dec 31st is much more suspicious)

Don't put too much faith into people with PhDs... even if he has a real one, is it from a good school? even if it is, is it in anything relevant? even if it is they give PhDs to crazy people too as long as they complete the work... and even if he wasn't crazy going in, I think most people go crazy in the course of getting PhDs anyway.

It is unlikely the poles will shift that year... I think they'd show more signs of weakening now. And sun spots don't cause the poles to switch... our magnetic field is caused by an internal drive (a dynamo consisting of our iron core and molten metals surrounding it turning). It is true that like a rope being twisted too far one way, our polarity can suddenly switch. If this happened though, it wouldn't cause earthquakes and floods. But, if this happens slowly there would be serious problems, like an increase in cancer, some crop damage, and a loss of some communications that rely on satellites.

So the worst case scenario would be if the poles happened to change then (unlikely) and it happened to take a long time to do so... but from what we've seen it doesn't seem like it should take that long at all. Even if that did happen... you have to wear sunscreen, go outside a little less, take vitamins, and deal with slow internet and no cell phone, whoop de-do. That would be a lull in human development, not a destruction of our society.
There is no evidence. No evidence. It is all drivel. The people pushing this are frauds or fools.