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Re: Yea. Fucked.
!| quote: | j
Today, your number is up
The once-a-century date of 6/6/06 is here. Do we celebrate, cower or just go about our business?
Jun. 6, 2006. 06:33 AM
JEN GERSON
STAFF REPORTER
Today is the last day of the rest of your life.
Why? It is due to 6/6/06, or 666 — or today! The three digits remain ingrained in popular imagination and Hollywood marketing materials, as the number of the beast. No, not Kelsey Grammer as The Beast in X-Men 3, but an agent of the devil who will work miracles to deceive mankind of his goodness and then, poof, bring fire from the sky and devils in his wake.
The number's mystique stems from a line in the book of Revelations: "Here is wisdom. He, who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six."
Theorists have used numerology and history to come to several possibilities who the beast could be, including ancient Roman Emperor Nero, Hitler or Pope Leo X.
But James Kelhoffer, an assistant professor of theological studies at Saint Louis University, and expert in early Christian history, says that the Bible is often misinterpreted.
"Many people who have interpreted the rich symbolism and mythology of (the Bible) have read into it to reflect on a world cataclysm within their time," he says. "It greatly misunderstands ancient Jewish and Christian prophets who always talk about apocalypses within their own time, not several centuries hence."
These misreadings have a storied history dating to the second century. The most recent incarnations have been passed through the mid-19th century preacher John Nelson Darby, who introduced the idea of The Rapture. According to Kelhoffer, The Rapture, or the idea that at the apocalypse every good Christian person will literally disappear from the face of the Earth and be instantly transported to heaven, is based upon a misinterpretation of the Apostle Paul's teachings.
So, while the world could stop spinning on its axis at any moment, even the Bible doesn't suggest that you neglect your retirement plans or put off those university admission applications.
By day's end, we'll know for sure. In the meantime, you might as well use 666 as an excuse to party like it's 1999. Others already have ...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bingo Apocalyptico
Is there a better way to celebrate the imminent destruction of the world than with bingo?
The aptly named Bingo Apocalyptico brought dozens of art fiends and other denizens of the underworld to the backroom of the Oasis restaurant on College St. on Saturday night.
"N31," proclaimed psychic John Huculiak, as he drew bingo balls from a cardboard globe aflame with orange tissue paper.
"Bingo!"
The lucky winners toted home prizes like a black Egyptian obelisk, a spell bag and gift certificates.
"We basically ripped (the idea) off of the Omen remake," says Liisa Ladouceur, events co-ordinator for the Royal Sarcophagus Society, a collective of artists and Goths.
Bingo is not in The Omen, but the apocalypse is, and the RSS decided that it would be a fine week to showcase its art and celebrate under the moniker of Art Saves! week.
Art will prevent the apocalypse, Ladouceur says, though the makeshift bingo hall seemed well prepared to welcome the end in style.
Scenes of burning buildings played against the wall as the crowd — dressed in a decidedly ebony hue — drank and marked their bingo cards with the provided bingo-ink daubers. The silent Angel of Rapture handed out cards marked with a black dot, a raven lit with Christmas lights flapped by the door.
The RSS started four years ago when David Keyes decided that the world was too mundane, dull and predictable.
"I wanted to create a world where magic just happened spontaneously," he explains. And so the RSS was born. Keyes says he's hoping to expand it into a small press. But for now the society is content to hold annual Halloween parties and to make stuff like puppets and skulls and decorative coffins.
Art Saves! week will culminate today with Readings for the End of the World at 7 p.m. at the Cameron House at 408 Queen St. W. Admission, of course, is $6.66.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS BEASTLY DAY IN HISTORY
Current events from June 6, 1906:
From the front page of the Toronto Star: "Liquor men" endorse temperance work. In Louisville, Ky., the National Liquor Dealers' Association commended the work of those who fight the inglorious fight of intoxication and all its evils.
A British "autoist" (car driver) was in the lead in the Herkomer automobile competition, speedily traversing the countryside between Vienna and Munich.
In a vote in Smiths Falls, the much-vexed question of church rules remained implacable as the district decided to remain opposed to dancing, card-playing and theatre-going.
No apocalypse was noted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For once, nothing bad will happen today: Astrologer
It will be just another Tuesday, according to a local astrologist.
Dawn Brunette has been staring at the stars for 15 years and says the ominous date is no biggie. "It would mean something if you believe in predictions in the Book of Revelations," she says. "But it's just a lot of hype because there have been a lot of 666 days in the past."
So are there any big whammies headed for the Earth, astrologically speaking?
"Astrology predicts things based on the movement of the major planets, like Pluto and Uranus ... their presence is more important. So, no big whammies."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming apocalypses, by the odds
So how's the world actually going to end? Place your bets in bread, as in the coming chaos, all currency is sure to become valueless. You have several options:
How it all goes down, Bible-style: The Bible is vague on this prophecy. An anti-Christ, bearing the number 666, rises from the sea, causing chaos and discord, according to a prediction in Revelations. The betting line, according to God's bookie: Man rises up, causes war, ends world. Thank you Bible, once again you are a beacon of clarity and sage wisdom. How could we ever have predicted this one without you? Odds of this actually happening: Virtually assured to self-fulfil. But not today. 10 to 1 against.
The Mayan calendar's end of all things: The first 5,200-year cycle of the Mayan calendar ends in December 2012, leaving the new age sky-watchers to predict that the great sea-monster will rise from the parted ocean and eat our decadent world shortly thereafter. Or was that Cthulhu? The betting line: Hard to argue with the stone-writ predictions of a race that mysteriously disappeared, leaving lots of creepy old rocks behind. Odds: 10 to 1 for.
Isaac Newton, 2060: In his attempts to decode the Bible, Sir Isaac Newton predicted that the world would end in 2060, thus saving us all from worrying about RRSPs.
He spent 50 years, and wrote 4,500 pages on the subject of the end of the world, and based his predictions on early 18th-century theories from Jerusalem. The betting line: The apple hit too hard. Odds: 1000 to 1 against.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Media do 666: CBC's Satanist Special and The Omen, Redux
George Stroumboulopoulos puts those hard-won MTV journo skills to work as CBC's The Hour presents a special on 666 and Satanism.
The guy who comes to work in a black T-shirt has come to the stunning conclusion that, "Using various methods of equating numbers with letters of words or names, a wide variety of interpretations have been made," according to promo materials for the show.
Wide variety? Various methods! Such specifics! Edumacate me, Strombey! To edumacate yourself, the show starts at 8 p.m. on CBC Newsworld and repeats at 11 p.m.
He also promises to present an interview with Magus Peter Gilmore, high priest of the Church of Satan, just before the anti-pope heads up a high mass for Satanists.
Expect jerky camera movements, sudden cut-aways and appropriately themed, though frustratingly generic, electric guitar chords.
So what, exactly, does 6/6/06 mean for Satanists? Not a damn thing, according to the Magus.
"For Satanists, numbers are just numbers, and June 6, 2006 is a day like any other. We are amused by Christians superstitiously being afraid of this number, as well as the date," he says on the Church of Satan's website. The Satanists say they are mocking such irrationality by holding their fearful high mass on that date.
Oh, and if all of this isn't scary enough, remember that the remake of The Omen opens today. That someone greenlighted this flick in the first place is truly a sign that the end is near.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected], your number is up
The once-a-century date of 6/6/06 is here. Do we celebrate, cower or just go about our business?
Jun. 6, 2006. 06:33 AM
JEN GERSON
STAFF REPORTER
Today is the last day of the rest of your life.
Why? It is due to 6/6/06, or 666 — or today! The three digits remain ingrained in popular imagination and Hollywood marketing materials, as the number of the beast. No, not Kelsey Grammer as The Beast in X-Men 3, but an agent of the devil who will work miracles to deceive mankind of his goodness and then, poof, bring fire from the sky and devils in his wake.
The number's mystique stems from a line in the book of Revelations: "Here is wisdom. He, who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six."
Theorists have used numerology and history to come to several possibilities who the beast could be, including ancient Roman Emperor Nero, Hitler or Pope Leo X.
But James Kelhoffer, an assistant professor of theological studies at Saint Louis University, and expert in early Christian history, says that the Bible is often misinterpreted.
"Many people who have interpreted the rich symbolism and mythology of (the Bible) have read into it to reflect on a world cataclysm within their time," he says. "It greatly misunderstands ancient Jewish and Christian prophets who always talk about apocalypses within their own time, not several centuries hence."
These misreadings have a storied history dating to the second century. The most recent incarnations have been passed through the mid-19th century preacher John Nelson Darby, who introduced the idea of The Rapture. According to Kelhoffer, The Rapture, or the idea that at the apocalypse every good Christian person will literally disappear from the face of the Earth and be instantly transported to heaven, is based upon a misinterpretation of the Apostle Paul's teachings.
So, while the world could stop spinning on its axis at any moment, even the Bible doesn't suggest that you neglect your retirement plans or put off those university admission applications.
By day's end, we'll know for sure. In the meantime, you might as well use 666 as an excuse to party like it's 1999. Others already have ...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bingo Apocalyptico
Is there a better way to celebrate the imminent destruction of the world than with bingo?
The aptly named Bingo Apocalyptico brought dozens of art fiends and other denizens of the underworld to the backroom of the Oasis restaurant on College St. on Saturday night.
"N31," proclaimed psychic John Huculiak, as he drew bingo balls from a cardboard globe aflame with orange tissue paper.
"Bingo!"
The lucky winners toted home prizes like a black Egyptian obelisk, a spell bag and gift certificates.
"We basically ripped (the idea) off of the Omen remake," says Liisa Ladouceur, events co-ordinator for the Royal Sarcophagus Society, a collective of artists and Goths.
Bingo is not in The Omen, but the apocalypse is, and the RSS decided that it would be a fine week to showcase its art and celebrate under the moniker of Art Saves! week.
Art will prevent the apocalypse, Ladouceur says, though the makeshift bingo hall seemed well prepared to welcome the end in style.
Scenes of burning buildings played against the wall as the crowd — dressed in a decidedly ebony hue — drank and marked their bingo cards with the provided bingo-ink daubers. The silent Angel of Rapture handed out cards marked with a black dot, a raven lit with Christmas lights flapped by the door.
The RSS started four years ago when David Keyes decided that the world was too mundane, dull and predictable.
"I wanted to create a world where magic just happened spontaneously," he explains. And so the RSS was born. Keyes says he's hoping to expand it into a small press. But for now the society is content to hold annual Halloween parties and to make stuff like puppets and skulls and decorative coffins.
Art Saves! week will culminate today with Readings for the End of the World at 7 p.m. at the Cameron House at 408 Queen St. W. Admission, of course, is $6.66.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THIS BEASTLY DAY IN HISTORY
Current events from June 6, 1906:
From the front page of the Toronto Star: "Liquor men" endorse temperance work. In Louisville, Ky., the National Liquor Dealers' Association commended the work of those who fight the inglorious fight of intoxication and all its evils.
A British "autoist" (car driver) was in the lead in the Herkomer automobile competition, speedily traversing the countryside between Vienna and Munich.
In a vote in Smiths Falls, the much-vexed question of church rules remained implacable as the district decided to remain opposed to dancing, card-playing and theatre-going.
No apocalypse was noted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For once, nothing bad will happen today: Astrologer
It will be just another Tuesday, according to a local astrologist.
Dawn Brunette has been staring at the stars for 15 years and says the ominous date is no biggie. "It would mean something if you believe in predictions in the Book of Revelations," she says. "But it's just a lot of hype because there have been a lot of 666 days in the past."
So are there any big whammies headed for the Earth, astrologically speaking?
"Astrology predicts things based on the movement of the major planets, like Pluto and Uranus ... their presence is more important. So, no big whammies."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upcoming apocalypses, by the odds
So how's the world actually going to end? Place your bets in bread, as in the coming chaos, all currency is sure to become valueless. You have several options:
How it all goes down, Bible-style: The Bible is vague on this prophecy. An anti-Christ, bearing the number 666, rises from the sea, causing chaos and discord, according to a prediction in Revelations. The betting line, according to God's bookie: Man rises up, causes war, ends world. Thank you Bible, once again you are a beacon of clarity and sage wisdom. How could we ever have predicted this one without you? Odds of this actually happening: Virtually assured to self-fulfil. But not today. 10 to 1 against.
The Mayan calendar's end of all things: The first 5,200-year cycle of the Mayan calendar ends in December 2012, leaving the new age sky-watchers to predict that the great sea-monster will rise from the parted ocean and eat our decadent world shortly thereafter. Or was that Cthulhu? The betting line: Hard to argue with the stone-writ predictions of a race that mysteriously disappeared, leaving lots of creepy old rocks behind. Odds: 10 to 1 for.
Isaac Newton, 2060: In his attempts to decode the Bible, Sir Isaac Newton predicted that the world would end in 2060, thus saving us all from worrying about RRSPs.
He spent 50 years, and wrote 4,500 pages on the subject of the end of the world, and based his predictions on early 18th-century theories from Jerusalem. The betting line: The apple hit too hard. Odds: 1000 to 1 against.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Media do 666: CBC's Satanist Special and The Omen, Redux
George Stroumboulopoulos puts those hard-won MTV journo skills to work as CBC's The Hour presents a special on 666 and Satanism.
The guy who comes to work in a black T-shirt has come to the stunning conclusion that, "Using various methods of equating numbers with letters of words or names, a wide variety of interpretations have been made," according to promo materials for the show.
Wide variety? Various methods! Such specifics! Edumacate me, Strombey! To edumacate yourself, the show starts at 8 p.m. on CBC Newsworld and repeats at 11 p.m.
He also promises to present an interview with Magus Peter Gilmore, high priest of the Church of Satan, just before the anti-pope heads up a high mass for Satanists.
Expect jerky camera movements, sudden cut-aways and appropriately themed, though frustratingly generic, electric guitar chords.
So what, exactly, does 6/6/06 mean for Satanists? Not a damn thing, according to the Magus.
"For Satanists, numbers are just numbers, and June 6, 2006 is a day like any other. We are amused by Christians superstitiously being afraid of this number, as well as the date," he says on the Church of Satan's website. The Satanists say they are mocking such irrationality by holding their fearful high mass on that date.
Oh, and if all of this isn't scary enough, remember that the remake of The Omen opens today. That someone greenlighted this flick in the first place is truly a sign that the end is near.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[email protected] |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jem_hadar
 |
NOW that's fukked up| quote: | | 666 - MUHAHAHAHAHA! - Don't mess with it |
| quote: | | This is an article that’s different. Confusing, not natural. As it could be my last article. Who knows? Here I am in the past of Last Friday, writing to you in the future of Next Thursday. I’m sitting here, on my computer, typing up this article. I’m listening to classic rock and dreading the science test I have to study for. But is this how I want to really be spending my last week on earth? That is, if the theory is true. Since I’m positive that you are completely lost, let me explain what’s going on. June 6th is upon us, or 6/06/06. 666, as most of us know, is a terrible number. It is the mark of the beast. So as this terrible day is coming closer to me, you have already passed it. Or have you? Am I talking to anyone? Or is this a waste of time? I don’t know what to believe at all. I’m scared, my friends, scared for us all. Not to mention, I am scared at how everybody is abusing it. The Omen is coming out that day, as a marketing ploy. Smart, but not the best if that day is so horrible. I’m not a Christian, nor do I believe in the principles of it, but we back here in the past can’t help but be a bit freaked out. Many theories have stemmed out. Some saying the Rapture is on June 6th, and others saying it will be just a lead up to it. So I wait for it to happen. Is it a conspiracy theory? Or is it coming? I hope I will be still here to see this article. |
___________________
DALLAS STAR ™ °¤§£¤y°
Treat people as if they are what they ought to be and you may help them to become what they are capable of being.
Last edited by dallastar on Jun-07-2006 at 02:33
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