Doomsday: Epidemics, labor unrest, riots, political conflicts, earthquakes and even visits from outer space. Those are the consequences some modern-day soothsayers offer for a rare alignment of the solar system's nine planets on Wednesday.
The Peoples Daily in Peking says it's all bunk and America's witches add their tongue-in-cheek predictions. But in New Delhi, a pro-government newspaper says India is in for a rugged week.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto all line up Wednesday on the same side of the sun in a 96-degree fan-shaped area. Some scientists say the alignment last occurred in 1803 and will not happen again until 2357.
One 8-year-old prediction says the gravitational pull of such a lineup will suck cosmic winds from the sun and activate earthquake zones around Earth, particularly along California's San Andreas fault.
Many scientists reject the theory. Even a co-author of the book that started it all, 'The Jupiter Effect,' retracted the prophecy.
'Our forecast was tied to changes in the sun's activity, which we believed to be driven by planetary alignments,' John Gribbin said in a letter to the New York Times Feb. 20.
'The sun's activity peaked in 1979, not 1982, proving that the planets do not dominate the sun's behavior and removing the basis of our original forecast,' Gribbin said of the book he wrote with Steve Plagemann.
But dire warnings persist and everybody has gotten into the act.
China launched a massive publicity campaign Sunday to calm fears of a catastrophe. Peking's Peoples Daily pitted science against the age-old belief the Earth will stop spinning and major earthquakes and climate changes will occur.
Peoples Daily quoted scientist Zheng Ying as saying, 'There is no regular cause-effect relation at all between this astronomical phenomenon and natural disasters like earthquakes.'
Zheng assured readers, 'The gravitational pull of heavenly bodies is but a very minor external factor that triggers earthquakes.'
Similarly, the China Youth Daily said, 'Claims that the alignment of the nine planets would make the Earth 'put on the brakes' and stop spinning, cause big earthquakes and influence climatic changes are all groundless.'
But in India, the pro-government Sunday Herald said the positioning of the planets will cause 'labor unrest and death of a prominent labor leader.'
A 'strange epidemic affecting the abdomen will stalk India' and 'a southern state will create (political) problems,' the newspaper said. It warned of an 'earthquake in Assam or Bihar' state, but also offered good news -- 'an increase of foreign trade.'
The Herald predicted 'communal unrest' -- meaning religious riots among Hindus, Moslems or other believers.
The New York Center for the Strange, a private group that issues annual Halloween predictions of 285 witches around the nation, held a special planetary poll. Some prophecies suggest the witches had their tongues planted firmly in cheek.
They said the lineup will trigger 'nationwide shortages of sparkling wine, hockey pucks, gerbil cages and soy sauce. French scientists will warn that massive quantities of chicken soup can cause erotic dreams.'
In Norfolk, Va., astrologer K.K. Skinner wasn't worried about March 10. She warned autumn is the time to watch because Jupiter 'will be passing through several southern Zodiac signs.'
She said 'earthquake sensitive spots will get a shaking up' and there will be 'some social unrest and a deepening of the recession' at that time.
Arizona State University Planetarium Coordinator Dan Matlaga plans an 'End of the World' show and party Monday night.
'Some people seem to thrive on predictions of calamity and mayhem,' he said. 'The one accompanying 'The Jupiter Effect' seems to have a lot of followers. We have been getting frequent calls about it.'
Matlaga said his party will include a planetarium show on the book. Refreshments will include 'rapture punch,' 'fire and sulfur dip,' 'brimstone cookies' and 'flat Earth cake.'
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland also plans a party 'to celebrate the continuation of life on Earth.'
'Definitely not on the evening's schedule are killer earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or the arrival of war parties from distant solar systems,' museum spokesman Beverly Swaren said.
But among the movies to be shown is 'When Worlds Collide.'
If the planetary alignment isn't enough to cause an unsettling week, there is a full Moon on Tuesday. Policemen, bartenders and psychiatrists relate their favorite stories of lunar effects on certain types of people.
In other words, it's usually 'weirdo night.'
