I'd like to contribute to the non-political blogs.  I'm not usually this big of a nerd, but for some reason this interests me.  You should check it out if you have any desire.  look up the Mayan calendar, specifically regarding 12/21/2012 if you don't know about it already.  I've summarized portions and copy/pasted a bit of the basics just for your info:

The ancient mayans believed that one galactic day consists of five cycles of  5,125 years for a total of 25,625 years.  12/21/2012 is the end of the fifth cycle.  don't misunderstand this as a lot of people do.  they are not saying this is the end of the world.  it's just the end of their calendar.  what's significant is that they stated that in the last 20 years of the last cycle 1992-2012 would be a time of great realization and great change for mankind. And it would be our own lack of preservation and contamination of the planet that would contribute to these changes. According to the Mayans, these changes would happen so that mankind comprehends how the universe works so we could advance to superior levels, leaving behind superficial materialism and liberating ourselves from suffering.

The Mayans also say that by 2012

we will have gone beyond technology as we know it.
we will have gone beyond time and money.
we will have entered the fifth dimension after passing through the fourth dimension
Planet Earth and the Solar System will come into galactic synchronization with the rest of the Universe.
Our DNA will be "upgraded" (or reprogrammed) from the centre of our galaxy. (Hunab Ku)
Everybody on this planet is mutating. Some are more conscious of it than others. But everyone is doing it.

In short, they call this the time of transition.  we are supposedly going to become a better species if we choose to be.  If we fail to recognize the opportunity, then we will continue using the earth's resources and kill each other until the end of our days. 

On another note, or perhaps the same note, the earth is going to be switching polarity again.  some predict within the decade.  for the geology lovers out there, you know we're already way over due.  maybe a connection?  I have no idea.

personally, I think it's BS.  I was firmly against Y2K and laughed at people wasting money on their emergency shelters, etc.  I despise end of the world scenarios because I think it's people's nature to create more drama in life than there really is and that is the source of these scenarios.  However, because this is from the ancient Mayans, I am interested in learning why they thought this and I like the ideological portions of it.