2012: the end of Oprah, or of everything? -- by Sybil Adelman Sage

Heaped on top of the existing and illogical wars, economic woes, job scarcity, terrorism, genocide, trafficking of women, global warming, identity theft, the greed of pharmaceutical companies and Wall Street tycoons, we're worrying about health care reform, Social Security going broke, swine flu and how to deal with Guantanamo prisoners. Our only distractions are medical announcements about mammograms and pap smears, along with the finding that Zetiya doesn't prevent heart attacks.

Thank goodness for the Mayans, who predicted that life as we know it will end on December 21, 2012. Why do we have to wait? My fear is what they were referring to was Oprah leaving network television. We need everything to end, if not change dramatically. Oprah has enough clout to insist that Comedy Central roasts, reality and award shows go off with hers.

President Obama must be as relieved as I am. If the Mayans were right, no matter how many more troops we do or do not send, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be over in two years. Future generations will not have to pick up the tab for what we're spending. And there will be no Cheneys or Ann Coulter gloating, "The apocalypse happened on Obama's watch!"

The filmmakers who made the movie must also have had faith in the Mayans; if ever there was a movie with no sequel potential, it's "2012."