Review #2: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Title: Blume, Judy. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Delacorte Press. 1988. 149 pages. Pb. $5.84, ISBN 978-0-385-73986-3

Genre: Fiction
Reading Level/Interest Level: 3.6/3-6
Similar Titles: Unknown

One of the most difficult topics to cover in Juvenile literature is puberty. Judy Blume does so with creativity, truth, heart and humor. As Margaret Simon’s parents move her from the excitement of New York to the suburbs of New Jersey, she finds herself desperately searching for her place in this new world. When Nancy, a neighbor girl her own age, strikes up a friendship with Margaret and ultimately a girls’ club, she finds out just how different her world really is. Faced with a whirlwind of feminine expectations and gossip, a new school, fitting in, curiosity about boys, obsessions with periods and bras, and the all-important question of religion, Margaret feels lost and impressionable and the only person she can talk to about it, is her god, until, that is, one day, she loses faith.

As is the case with most literature for the 3^rd to 6^th grade level, the protagonist, often mirroring the desires of the reader, just wants to fit in. Self-esteem often comes from self-confidence and a feeling of belonging within a community. Is there anything harder to discover when your body is changing and your friends have so many expectations? Margaret’s move may be symbolic of leaving her childhood behind (New York) and entering the new phase of her young adult life in New Jersey. Gone are the toys, dolls and innocent entertainments. Now she feels she is expected to act more grown-up than she may even feel but still has to fight against peer pressure while learning how to think for herself and have faith in her own beliefs. It isn’t until she sees the truth, stops trying to be someone she is not and learns to have confidence in herself, and faith in a higher power, that she is able to transcend the barrier.

While other books for this age group, such as Ramona and Beezus or The Bridge to Terabithia, have a similar writing style from the perspective of the protagonist, Judy Blume takes it one step further by really exploring the very real and unique issues that girls face when going through puberty and finding their place in society.  This makes it difficult to compare as no other juvenile book that I have read to date is as real and thorough with these issues. Though some of the terms and imagery may be slightly dated, the content is still very relevant for today’s reader who is trying to make sense of their own pubescent transition. It may even be a good tool for parents who have a hard time relating to their new “tween-ager.”  

Review #1: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle

Title: L'Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle In Time. Dell Publishing. 1962. 211 pages. Pb. $6.49, ISBN 978-1-25000-467-3

Genre: Fiction/Science Fiction with Fantasy elements
Reading Level/Interest Level: 4.7    /Grades 5-8
Awards: Newberry Medal 1963
Series: The Time Quartet:
       ·         Book 1:    A Wrinkle in Time
       ·         Book2:    A Wind In The Door
       ·         Book 3:   A Swiftly Tilting Planet
       ·         Book 4:   Many Waters
Similar Titles: Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, Interworld by Neil Gaiman

 
Review:

Margaret “Meg” Murry struggles with the constant affliction of all 11 year olds; attempting to fit in. The problem is, her brain is simply hardwired differently than those of her peers. Socially awkward and quick tempered, she feels odd and ugly and the only place she really seems to fit in is at home with, between her brilliant physicist mother and her eccentric but adored little brother, Charles Wallace. Even her mischievous but protective twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys, cannot put her at ease. But then her whole world goes topsy turvy 2 years after the disappearance of her father.

Mysterious neighbors move into an abandoned house nearby and their presence seems to draw in Meg and Charles Wallace, not to mention their new friend, Calvin O’Keefe, as a search for answers suddenly turns into an unexpected quest to save her father and the entire universe. Mystical beings and strange worlds lead to a crisis of faith and a journey of self-discovery and heroism. The fight between light and dark, good and evil has never been so obvious or more deadly. Will they make it out alive? More importantly, will they be able to fight against the darkness of the terrifying “IT” or will they succumb to its intoxicating persuasion?

 

The first in a series of 4 novels, A Wrinkle In Time is a fascinating indoctrination into the world of Sci-Fi for the tween reader. A book often used in conjunction with 5^th through 8^th grade curriculum, it is a comfortable read because of the use of familiar elements of fantasy but expands the imagination by pushing the limits of the reader’s concepts of time, space and what is possible within the realm of physics without the use of confusing industry specific language. The characters are warm, relatable and well developed. After a few short pages you feel as if you have known them for years and you’d do anything to see them succeed, the mark of an excellent writer. It is no great wonder that this title won the Newbury Medal in 1962 and inspired 3 subsequent novels, which, this reviewer recommends reading in order, to lessen confusion, avoid frustration and consequently, a tragic loss of interest in the series.

Consistent themes within the book are similar to those found in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Faith, doubt, battle (internal and external), self-esteem, peer relationships, overcoming anger and fear, learning and personal growth through trials and experience; the issues that come with a journey that takes us from childhood to early adulthood. It would seem that not only does the book intimate a battle between good and evil, the Christian God and Satan, light and dark but also the internal struggle, self-doubt and feeling of loss that every child experiences growing up when they are expected to put away childish emotions and respond with adult reasoning. With adulthood comes not only a mandatory maturity but a keen awareness of not just good and bad, but of Justice vs. Evil, the metaphoric sinners and saints. L'Engle seems to be saying that those who turn to the light, find the good and the power to lead, those who believe in themselves and the right can change the world and dissapate any evil that threatens it.

Boys vs Girls in the Mass Market Paperback

"Are there boy books and girls books? Do we embrace this as a professional necessity or do we actively try to fight stereotypes." Use the books, the articles, the developmental assets, and if you are up to it the articles the blogs link to to respond. 

 

I've heard this argument alot. Is there such a thing as a boy's book and a girl'sbook? Is there cross-reading? Should it be encouraged?

 

Typically, a book is defined into one of these two gender categories in Tween literature according to the gender of the protagonist. This is stated over and over again in discussion groups, textbooks, articles, lecture and daily conversations. It makes sense. Kids, and really readers in general, want a character they can relate to, that they have something in common with or exemplify something they want to be. (Boys LitWire, Sept 22, 2010). This is part of building a positive identity and social competencies, in some aspects, typically because we learn that similarites between individuals (including ourselves and another person) mean they are not so different and we can develop empathy, sympathy and cultural sensitivity in this manner (40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood, 2012). If you can't find a similarity or some element to relate to, how can you understand the individual or the context of the situation? How can you figure out where you fit in with society? This theory explains why boys read about boys and girls read about girls. However, why are more girls willing to read about male protagonists, instead of vice versa?

 

Slowly, as the years have crept on, humans have evolved more and more cultural sensitivity as well as gender sensitivity. It might have started when the first woman went to work, or demanded equal rights, cast their first vote or campaigned for their fair share of "equal rights." However, the social order still has a relatively defined version of gender roles for males and females, even if the lines have blurred somewhay. With more focus having been presented for women's rights,  their right to do "manly" things, it has become more acceptable for a girl to read books about male protagonists or male subects than a boy reading about a girl. It isn't necessarily that girls are more flexible, though there may be some truth to that. I believe it is a cultural stigma that is responsible for the lack of cross reading and the development of more Tween literature for girls, than boys.

If a boy is caught reading about a girl, he is shunned and labeled in stark contrast to the macho ideal still being presented to boys as they grow up as the ideal model of manliness. Boys are taught from a young age that taking interest in anything "girly" is tantamount to turning over their "man card." Girls, on the other hand, are encouraged to break gender barriers and attempt traditionally male roles and to explore traditionally male associated literature. Some might claim they are being too masculine, but typically it is encouraged and becomes a sign of strength, equality and perserverence for females. Unfortunately, this severely limits the field of socially acceptable titles of tween boys.

This is further encouraged as researchers and marketers have come to understand the purchasing power of girls in this age category. Male tween characters have been sentenced to "side-kick" or "best-friend" status. They have now become secondary where originally girl characters were defined as secondary (Sweet Valley High: The Great Re-tweening, 2010).

 

While searching through a Children's Literature Listserv archive  I read a theory by the post author that children are encouraged to read classic "high level" literature in schools which more often than not, features a male protagonist. They are taught, subversively or not, that women are second class citizens, no matter what rights they have won from their counterparts. Books and topics by or about women are typically not encouraged and in doing so (not encouraging minority protagonists), teachers may be unknowingly imparting a social bias with their uneven curriculum (Boys Don't Read Girls' Books?, 1995). With this method of teaching, teachers are also narrowing the field for male book readers while encouraging the girls to cross-over. Genders often have difficulty sharing, and book titles and genres are no different. There is still no secure middle ground where girls and boys can explore the same titles in the tween category without some sort of censure.

 

Take for example Hatchet and Are You There God? It's me, Margaret. While Hatchet is a well written book, I did not enjoy it. For me, it was not relatable. The protagonist was male and the subect was survival, becoming a man. Whereas, Are You There God was more relatable to me, the story of a young girl, in a new environment, struggling with faith, bodily changes, friends, school and trying to fit in. Her emotions were easy to interpret because I had experienced many of the same as a tween myself. I did not have that experience, that relatability to the other book. This goes back to my original theory. While the gender lines do blur, and more and more people are encouraging cross reading across the gender categories, there will always be boy and girl books, as long as there are gender identities and gender roles in our societies. Readers want a book to speak to them, to relate to them. In tween literature, this speaks to their desire to grow up and be successful as a grown up, in their given gender role. It is difficult to "get into"a book about the opposite gender role, unless you are able to distance yourself from the protagonist and read the book strictly for reference. No matter the age or the gender, the reader will look into the text and the subtext for markers identifying proper and improper behavior for each role.

What Makes a "Tween" Title?

L'Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle In Time. Dell Publishing. 1962. 211 pages. Pb. $6.49, ISBN 978-1-25000-467-3
    
     When A Wrinkle In Time was written in 1962, and even the first time that I read it more than 20 years later, the term "tween" didn't exist. So how can you tell that this title falls into the category that most would agree is distinguished by being appropriate for children 8-12? In this case, it centers around the issues being faced by the narrator, the awkward, approximately 12 year old sister, Meg. She is in the "inbetween" phase, thus the origin of the word "tween" (Maughan, S., 2002). She is neither child, nor teen, struggling with themes such as identity and fitting in, desiring desperately to  both be herself and be like the pretty "normal" girls, or even more so, like her brilliant and beautiful mother.

     Meg also struggles with other internal issues such as social competencies, such as peaceful conflict resolution, interpersonal competence, cultural compentence and decision making (40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood, 2007). She responds with physical reactions when frustrated or verbally provoked. She prefers the company of her misunderstood little brother than children her own age and is generally untrusting of her classmates and even adults, especially where their motives are concerned. She also constantly questions her own decisions, worried that an incorrect decison will cause or has caused some sort of catastropy and is conflicted about her academics as the she is unmotivated in school, whether due to disinterest or not being challenged enough, and teacher's preconceived notions about her intelligence and family.

     External issues include feeling alienated from all adults aside from her parents, completely unvalued and uninvolved in decisions in the immediate environment that affect her, as well as feeling unsafe or unappreciated anywhere but home. She has no positive peer influences until she meets the slightly older Calvin, who may be well liked at school, but has a difficult home life, which makes it easier for Meg to appreciate what she does have in her life, and leads to her feeling less alienated and alone as she realizes that even those who are well liked may have problems very similar to hers.
In direct comparison she does have a strong, if not complex, home life. Though her father is considered missing, and her mother is somewhat distracted, she is a loving and devoted mother, which leads to positive values and due to the emphasis on intellectual exploration in the household, some sort of committment to learning, though it might be less conventional (40 Developmental Assets for Middle Childhood, 2007). She provides boundaries and rules, understanding and unconditional love for all her children. She reassures them, defends them, and tries to help them see the best of the situation in which they find themselves. While the twin 10 year old brothers seem almost outsiders to the struggle, as they are well liked and considered "normal", the mother, Meg and her little brother, Charles Wallace, form a united front, supporting one another in hard times. Even the twins do try to help , to some extent, telling Meg that it is their responsibility to handle the physical alterations when one of the Murray's families integrity is called into question (L'Engle, M., 1962, p. 4-5) .

     On a personal note, I know this is a tween book as I read it myself as part of an advanced reader program in the 5th grade, at the age of 10. I was going through a lot of the same issues....living with a sibling and a single parent, not fitting in, having low self-esteem, feeling ugly and awkward, questioning my own intelligence and decisions constantly, having difficulty trusting and bonding with other children after a number of moves in a short period of time and some bad experiences after my parents' divorce. It was a difficult transitional period which really didn't end until I started high school 4 years later. But, during that time, it was books like A Wrinkle in Time that let me know that I wasn't alone and that it might just be possible to find the things I was looking for in my life. That you could go through that growing process and come out alright on the other side, and that there were some childish beliefs or dreams that were ok to hang on to while growing into a new metaphorical skin. Maybe that's why, after all those years, I still had my own copy to pull out and read for this post! 

W.A.Cs in Slacks

If any of my dear readers were born after 1960, and are not resplendent (HA HA) history buffs, like myself, you might be wondering, "What in the world is a W.A.C?! Is it a new fangled slang term all those young kids are using today?  Wait....I thought it was spelled "whack!! ", as in "That's whack, yo!" Well, all silliness aside, let me enlighten you.

Definition: W.A.C. stands for Women's Army Corps, or you may see it as W.A.A.C, the Women's Army Auxillary Corps, as it was often known in 1942.

I'm not going to lie. I haven't always known what a W.A.C. was. In fact, my first exposure to the term itself came from watching Irving Berlin's White Christmas as a young child (Thanks Mom!).

In the first act of the final show for General Waverly, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen performed a song called "Gee, I Wish I Was Back In the Army Now," in which my favorite stanza was:

"Gee, I wish I was back in the army
The army was the place to find romance
Soldiers and WAC’s the WAC’s who dressed in slacks
Dancing cheek to cheek and pants to pants"

This was my first exposure to the term "W.A.C." Did I understand what it meant? Absolutely not. Did it sound awesome, like perhaps there was some group of women out there randomly whacking people upside the head, or socking them in the arm when they got out line (my kind of ladies)? Heck yes! Did I find out what it was? You betcha!

It was pretty easy to infer that it had something to do with women wearing pants in the Army, and as a girly tomboy (yes I know that's a misnomer), I was all for it. As an young adult, I knew women had served in the military and worked in factories during WWII and been forced back behind the stove in many cases when the boys returned home from war. In fact, one of my favorite iconic images has always been the best marketing campaign ever (or some would argue propaganda) Rosie the Riveter, who encouraged women to step-up, become independent and confident, and take the demanding roles their fellas left behind in the wake of entering the war.

Really, reflecting on it now, this is probably the period when I became completely enamored with historical costuming and pop-culture from the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's.(We'll cover me re-creating these period looks in a different post)

During the age of Nirvana and Soundgarden, in the midst of a budding Seattle music scene, which I enjoyed like any normal teenager (well ok, I was never a Nirvana fan....don't spread that around too much or the flannel mafia might come a-knocking), I can distinctly remember closing the blinds in my mother's family room during the summer days of high school, locked in with classic 1940's movies on the American Movie Classics channel.  (What can I say? I was also reading Shakespeare in the 6th grade, listening to The Doors, Gershwin, Steve Miller Band, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman  and The Eagles at age 12. I never claimed I was normal!)

My favorite classic movie of the time? So Proudly We Hail (1943), starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake. (Wowzers) - The story of  Army nurses, serving overseas during WWII. Amazing movie. Check it out. (If you delve into the effect of Veronica Lake's hairstyle on factory workers prior to this movie, you'll also see the effect that Hollywood had on a public very much looking for glitz and glamour during an otherwise dismal and dark period of history, even back then. Sound a little familiar?)

Trailer:

This led to reading books on the subject, watching more movies from the time period, immersing myself even more in the music and eventually, many years later, long nights of internet searches and asking for first hand accounts from those I knew who lived it. So by now, you must be asking:


How did the Women's Army Corps come to be?:
While Congress refused to sign into law the original bill that offered women the chance serve as equals and to receive the same benefits as their male counterparts in the Army during WWII, including fighting overseas, "the final bill represented a compromise between the two sides. The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was established to work with the Army, "for the purpose of making available to the national defense the knowledge, skill, and special training of the women of the nation." The Army would provide up to 150,000 "auxiliaries" with food, uniforms, living quarters, pay, and medical care. Women officers would not be allowed to command men" (Bellafaire, J., 2005).

It is interesting to note that in 1946 the Army ASKED Congress to allow the W.A.C. to become an official part of the Army. Congress took 2 years to do it, but added the W.A.C to its official Army roster in 1948. Interestingly enough, it was still in operation as a separate Army unit until 1978 when it was assimilated into the Army's traditional ranks. Also, anyone who has done a little research into sexual politics during the 1950's knows that, while social movements such as the Rockabilly music scene sought to continue to liberate and encourage independent women, the mainstream, socially driven post-war standard of women's behavior and gender roles turned into what could be considered an attempt to dumb down and un-emancipate those who had showed their independence during the war, when it was absolutely essential for the survival of the country and the war effort. Just a little food for thought there.

So what were W.A.C.s (members of the Women's Army Corps) allowed to do?
They were employed in communications, cartography (map making), running motor pools, as typists, pilots, switchboard operators, secretaries, cryptologists, radiographers, translators, and more, all in addition to the nurses already serving.

All of today's research started with a link that a Facebook page I subscribe to posted on their wall. It was from a blogpost entitled Women at War: WWII (click the hyperlink to go there).

It is amazing to read about them, but more poigniant to SEE women not only working in factories and jobs in allied countries, but also in ENEMY countries, whether they were snipers.......

 ...inspectors, guerillas, film-makers, made propaganda, or performed military and police training alongside men...in the 1940'S!

Teachers, librarians, homemakers, dressmakers, nurses, young adults, the elderly....they're all there, serving their countries and their moral convictions in a time where those resistant to change accused them of questionable character, morals and sexual deviancy, if indeed it could be called that today, for stepping into formerly "Boys Only" boots, though they were also told it was their patriotic duty to do so! And don't forget, they were called unpatriotic if they weren't pretty while they were doing "man's work" too! (I don't look this coiffed and polished NOW and I work at a desk job!!! These gals (above and below) are inspecting BULLETS for goodness sakes.)

There is also an incredible photo of part of the first contingent of African American W.A.C.s sent overseas, a HUGE step forward in civil rights. I must learn more!

And to all those who think women don't have the tenacity  (I.E. "GUTS") to be brave during combat, check out these stats.:

Of the 150,000 women serving as W.A.C.'s during WWII, "Ten women received the Soldier's Medal for heroic actions (not involving combat). One such incident occurred at Port Moresby, New Guinea, when an oil stove in the women's barracks caught fire and three WACs brought the fire under control by smothering it, sustaining severe burns in the process. Sixteen women received the Purple Heart, awarded during World War II to soldiers injured due to enemy action. The majority of the WACs received their injuries from exploding V-l bombs while stationed in London. The Bronze Star was awarded to 565 women for meritorious service overseas. A total of 657 WACs received medals and citations at the end of the war" (Bellafaire, 2005). This does not include those non-service personel, such as the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (or WASPs) below who waited to receive their Congressional gold medals, the highest available civilian honor, until 2009!

Now THAT is guts, fellas, in all her glory. ;)

For more info on this topic or the time period please see my Research Pathfinder on American Women in WWII located here:
https://sites.google.com/site/thewomenofworldwarii/



Resources: (too tired to pull out my APA reference style tonight...may update at a later date)
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/WAC/WAC.HTM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/So_Proudly_We_Hail!
http://thefrogseyebrows.blogspot.com/2009/12/cinema-tuesdays-white-christmas.html
http://archive.ccm.edu/rosie/index.htm
http://www.rosietheriveter.org/
http://womenslens.blogspot.com/2011/09/women-at-war-wwii.html
http://www.heresatissueclan.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=6997
http://beautyqueensheen.wordpress.com/tag/wwii/
http://www.city-data.com/forum/history/1186414-industrial-innovators-builders-wwii.html
http://cruelkev2.blogspot.com/2009/07/wwii-women-pilots-to-receive-medals.html

Relentlessly Cheerful Art

For a self-proclaimed geek, there is nothing like finding one or more of your favorite mediums combined. It's better than Christmas morning when you were five because you have precious few moments as an adult with that kind of mixed anticipation and joy! This definitely gets my excitement going.

It's Relentlessly Cheerful Art by James Hance. Now, I have to admit, this wasn't a fresh internet search or research project because I belong to this guy's Facebook page. I love to see the new stuff he's working on (like the recent series of sketches mixing Fraggle Rock with Lord of the Rings and off the cuff comments like ...."One Radish to Rule Them All" and "Nobody Tosses a Doozer". Hahaha! Best of all, the man offers his prints at $10 a piece!) but I did search to find his latest prints for sale, so it counts!

I originally ran across one of his paintings when searching for art for my dreary cubicle at work, I think. I don't even remember what I was looking for, to tell you the truth. It might have been Halloween 2010 when Creative Services set their department up as a Star Wars Cantina...but this is what I found (which still remains one of my favorite Hance offerings): "The Flower of the Force III"

So I continued to look for more of his art and then I found this adorable comic book which mixed two of my very favorite things in the world.....Star Wars and Winnie the Pooh.  Impossible, right? WRONG! This is pure brilliance.

You can buy a copy here for just $5!

I did and I tore through the sucker! Ok, I didn't "tear" through it because I have a severe reverence for comic books, which is why I was so jazzed that my book showed up bagged and boarded. However, I couldn't get enough of it and would love to see sequels or a series! But, being a crafty person myself, I understand how sometimes stretching a topic or a project beyond one presentation often dulls your appreciation of and satisfaction with it. So, I'll completely understand if we don't see anymore books but I DO know that James Hance keeps us all satisfied with new Wookiee the Chew prints.

My newest favorite (from his Facebook Page):

This is SO me. I went so far as to ask him (Mr. James Hance) if he'd be offering a print because it makes my geeky heart happy! (no answer yet, btw, but that was only an hour or so ago) This HAS to go on my wall. Geeky, adorable art that I AND my almost 6 year old mini-me can appreciate while elicting grins and giggles everytime we pass it.....WINNING!

You will also find, while perusing the site that you have an opportunity to satiate your geeky appetite and help a little girl in the process...James Hance's daughter, Madison. Madison is suffering from a rare intestinal disorder that has required many medications, surgeries, doctor's visits and as most of you can imagine, that leaves an enormous financial burden behind as well as an emotional toll.

James Hance is offering a limited edition Wookiee the Chew print "Off to Save the Princess" with a card and an original sketch for just $30 with proceeds going for research, treatment, recovery and associated costs for Maddy's condition. Being a parent, former tutor, preschool teacher, educational toy store buyer and future Children's Librarian, you can imagine how important it is for me to support such causes as no child should ever be denied treatment or its family punished for seeking treatment and wellness for their most precious asset, their children. I'm here to tell you from personal experience, when those bills do pile up, you do feel like you are being punished and sometimes the only thing that pulls you through, are the smiles on your child's face and the support of kind hearted individuals.

Get your print (below) today (here) or consider a donation and contact him at ironroseartistry@yahoo.com today. Support an artistic jewel and his spot of happiness as they bring so much to others.

So Much for the Mayans....Try Some Aztec!

First of all, Happy New Year! I trust that 2012 will bring a wave of positive change and happiness with it. I hope you rang it in with much enthusiasm and anticipation. I know we did. (I love my daughter's expression in this....PRICELESS!)

Due to the year turning, it was inevitable that a good portion of postings on my Facebook page would be people making sarcastic comments about the Mayan calendar, doomsday...etc etc etc. Though I was surprised to see most people thinking that the Mayan calendar doomsday was New Years Day 2012, instead of the Winter Solstice, December 21st, like I had always believed. So I started looking it up to see if I had suddenly gone daffy...well....more so than normal.

Everything I've looked at shows that the Mayan calendar cycle is expected to recycle on Dec. 21st, just like I'd thought. *phew* I found an article about the cash cow that has become the 2012 doomsday "prophecy" with a quote from author Joe Nickell, who apparently writes on the topic of debunking myths and legends. ".......the Mayans, Central and South American Indians who flourished in the first millennium, never said the world was ending on Dec. 21 — only that their calendar was turning over on that date for another 394-year “baktun” or cycle, according to scholars" (Dominguez, R., 2011). Haha! I was right!

So in my quest to find such a citation, I DID look up the Aztec calendar, or tonalpohualli,  and found a really cool site that tells you what the Aztec calendar interprets or forecasts for the day (and consequentally found out that it is often described as part of the Mayan calendar). It is appropriately titled AztecCalendar.com . Today I thought was particularly spot on (though it's not like I have ever seen this site before today) and that's not just my partial Hispanic heritage talking. (I apologize for lack of formatting in the below section but blogger only allows me so much.)

The significance of this day - January 1, 2012

"Day Coatl (Snake) is governed by Chalchihuitlicue as its provider of tonalli (Shadow Soul) life energy. Coatl is the day of the snaking river that always changes without changing. It signifies the fleeting moment of eternal water. A good day for humility, a bad day for acting on self-interests.

The thirteen day period (trecena) that starts with day 1-Acatl (Reed) is ruled by Chalchihuitlicue, goddess of lakes, rivers and seas, goddess of horizontal waters. This trecena signifies the transitory nature of all that we may gain in life: it is a reminder to view success and failure, gain and loss, as matters of fate and not as matters of personal worth. The elementals do not reward nor punishment our efforts but, rather, construct the maze within which we might perfect our hearts. The 13 days of this trecena reveal our hearts to us, based on whether we have decided to live within the house of shadows or to seek the secret of happiness elsewhere. These are good days to travel to new places; bad days to hide in fear," (Voorburg, R., 2012).

See the parts in bold? Yeah...those are important bits to remember.

However, if you prefer to read the various theories concerning the end of the world (part of me does and part of me doesn't...I mean I don't want to be naive but I don't want to feel psychotically paranoid either...kind of takes the zest and zeal out of life...know what I mean? But hey...the Aztec calendar told me not to hide in fear...hoo ah!) I found an interesting place to start below. It is of interest to note that I can not find a bio on the author except by the internet publication he writes for, which seems to specialize in unexplained phenomenon and conspiracy theories. Also, formal references and citations for "facts" and "communications" are severely lacking, which make me question the scholarly value of the article/book. His name is Dan Eden and he writes for viewzone. This is a link to his 2012 conspiracy theory e-book which totes itself as free.....for a $10 donation. :P    http://www.viewzone.com/never/never.html

I however, read the NASA website (I don't care if it is a federally funded program, at least it is comprised of SCIENTISTS and facts :P) and it made me feel better. ;)
Debunking 2012 Doomsday Theory Links:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/2012.html
http://www.space.com/14078-apocalypse-2012-doomsday-predictions-debunked-nasa.html

References
(Look at me, Mom! I'm practicing my APA References and citations!)

Dominguez, Robert. (2011, December 31). End of Mayan calendar spurs big boom in end-of-world business. New York      Daily News. Retrieved from: http://www.nydailynews.com/money/mayan-calendar-spurs-big-boom-end-of-world-business-article-1.999260#ixzz1iFzNJAVP

Voorburg, Rene. (2012, January 1). Aztec calendar today: Today in the Aztec and Mayan calendars. Retrieved from http://www.azteccalendar.com/