The end of the world, such as it is, is prompting disparate reactions: Michigan closed its schools, Serbian villagers have turned to their mystical mountains, The Guardian is live-blogging - because somebody has to - and The Onion says scholars have discovered the Mayan word for "apocalypse" in fact translates more accurately as "time of pale obese gun monsters." Here in Maine, it's raining a bunch. Amidst the hoopla, the Maya calmly note the date simply marks the resetting of their calendar, and symbolizes "the beginning of good things." We sure hope so.