No Plan B

All I seem to focussing on lately are American stories. Don't know what it is but it just seems to be such a rich seam lately.

This next one is right up there

As with many of these tales, it doesn't need any embellishment. It is so stupid it can bear being told straight.

Some time back an 89 yr old evangelical preacher in California - Harold Camping - boldly predicted that the world would end at 6pm on May 21 2011. Or to be more precise the Second Coming would arrive and all true believers would be swept up in the "Rapture". I kid you not. look up Rapture on Wikipedia. People are serious about this shit.

He was so confident he and his ministry, Family Radio International, invested millions in a national advertising campaign to alert true believers. Mr Camping said leading up to the 21st that he knew "without any shadow of a doubt" that "judgement day" is arriving. There is no "Plan B", he said

Apparently thousands bought into this hokum, sold up and moved to Califormia to be with Harold for judgement day! The story might just end there - a sad tale of gullible and stupid people taken for a ride that is somewhat enlivened by this great headline on the 22nd:


"Believers baffled as life goes on"

Except for two spinoffs.

The first was the wonderful energetic response of various Aethiest groups in America who organised a range of parties to celebrate the end of the world. Apart from the much needed reality check provided by such sanity, the parties also provided two more great tag lines:

I mean how can a party fail that is called the Rapture After Party fail? And who wouldn't be drawn to party with the tag line - "Countdown to backpeddling"?

The Rapture After Party in Fayetteville, North Carolina, was a two-day event organised by the Central North Carolina Atheists and Humanists.

"Though the absurdity of this claim is obvious to the majority of the world, it's a great opportunity to highlight some of the most bizarre beliefs often put forth by religious fundamentalists and raise awareness of the need for reason," said a posting about the party on the group's website.

Atheists in Tacoma, Washington, have headed their celebration "countdown to back-pedalling".
Events were also due to take place in Texas, Florida and California.
 The Rapture After Party
The second even better spinoff from Harold's crazy grandstanding is another shining example to American capitalism. There is a quote somewhere about a fool and his money being parted. It surely applies to this.

An atheist and entrepreneur from New Hampshire, Bart Centre, is enjoying a boost in business for Eternal Earth-bound Pets, which he set up to look after the pets of those who believe they will be raptured.

He has more than 250 clients who are paying up to $135 (£83) to have their pets picked up and cared for after the rapture.They would be disappointed twice, he told the Wall Street Journal. "Once because they weren't raptured and again because I don't do refunds."
 Eternal Earth Bound Pets

You cant make up stuff like this. No-one would believe it