HEXAKOSIOIHEXEKONTAHEXAPHOBIA

A friend wanted me to know that BetUS.com has set the odds of the apocalypse happening today (06/06/06) at 100,000-to-1.

A maximum $500 wager that the world survives could win you half a penny.

Is it just me or is this whole 6-6-6 thing a little out of hand? It's got nothing to do with the calendar or time or a day of the year. No place in the good book does it say June 6th of any year ending in "06" is going to be a bad day. Need a little background?

From the New Testament, Revelation 13:16-18:

"...it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom: let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. Its number is six hundred and sixty-six."

Fear of the number 666, by the way, is the title of this post.

For reference, let's consider the date June 6, 1906 - which was also 06/06/06. Do you know what happened on this day? People died. A lot of people. And a lot of people were also born. In fact, that day was just like any other. In fact, the only thing of historical note that happened on that day as far as I could determine was the launch ot the Lusitania at the John Brown & Company shipyard in Glasgow, Scotland.

So there you have it. It's not the end of the world as we know it. It's fucking Tuesday and there's a pile of shit with your name on it - so get your nervous ass back to work!