Dec. 16, 2012: Blackhawk helicopters fly to Kandahar -- an ordinary day, despite widespread fearmongering of an impending "doomsday." (U.S. Army / D. Myles Cullen)
Despite a wave of online hysteria to the contrary, there’s no scientific evidence whatever to suggest doomsday will occur on Friday.
That's why U.S. military forces are quietly ignoring the nonsense, planning no mobile air strikes, no red alerts, no doomsday watches, no safety warnings -- they’re just getting on with business.
The U.S. government’s official blog has even tried to reassure people that scary rumors about the world ending in 2012 are just silly talk: “False rumors are scaring people and children,” the site cautions.
NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS), home to some of America's top scientists, decided to step up and unleash a barrage of facts against the fearmongers as well.
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The USGS on Wednesday asserted that natural disasters may indeed strike -- that’s what nature does.
“Earth has a tremendous capacity to generate natural disasters on any day of any year,” the agency said, explaining that’s why science seeks to improve forecasting. The agency reviewed current state of the art in predicting hurricanes, wildfires, landslides, volcanoes and magnetic storms.
The advice: be prepared, every day. “The question to consider on December 21, 2012, and every day is: Have I done everything I can to ensure that my family and I are prepared, should a disaster strike?"
NASA has received thousands of letters worried about doomsday rumors as well.
The space agency’s scientists also got proactive to nip doomsday hysteria in the bud, releasing a short film titled “Why The World Didn't End Yesterday,” targeting apocalyptic theories related to the Mayan calendar.
Launched more than a week in advance of doomsday, it proves real life scientists can be funny, not just those in “The Big Bang Theory.”
"If you're watching this video, it means one thing: the world didn't end yesterday,” the video concludes.
The film enlists some major Mayan experts who explain the calendar just "rolls over" on December 21 2012 -- no big deal.
NASA also posted a humorous Q and A online to underscore key points. “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,” it notes.
Total Blackout
Scaremongers have taken NASA Administrator Charles Bolden’s general preparedness message and misconstrued it as a warning about a Mayan related blackout.
According to doomsday believers, some sort of "alignment of the universe" will cause a three-day blackout. As NASA states, there are no scientific grounds and these black out causing alignments simply do not exist.
Near earth comets are a genuine and serious threat, but not specifically on “doomsday” -- as some would like to believe.
Don Yeoman, Head of NASA's near-earth comet program, said no planets, asteroids or comets are on a collision course about to destroy the planet. And NASA astrobiologist David Morrison agrees.
"If there were anything out there like a planet heading for earth, it would already be one of the brightest objects in the sky… You don't need to ask the Government, just go out and look. It's not there,” Morrison said.
Boy Scouts to take on Doomsday
If you still have concerns, you may want to find your nearest Boy Scout.
Simon Carter, assistant director of the Boy Scouts, told the Daily Mail "if you are a scout, you know how to light a fire, how to cook, how to make a shelter. Those basic skills are really important.”
He offers suggestions for those who don’t have a Boy Scout handy as well.
"There are probably going to be no computers or electricity in the post-apocalyptic world so get a basic essential guide, there are loads around in the library such as Scouting For Boys -- it was written in 1908 but it will still be relevant after the apocalypse."
As the government said, 12-21-12 will be “just another day.”
Ballet dancer turned defense specialist Allison Barrie has traveled around the world covering the military, terrorism, weapons advancements and life on the front line. You can reach her at wargames@foxnews.com or follow her on Twitter @Allison_Barrie.
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