Haha, no I don't believe the world is ending on May 21st 2011 or on December 21st, 2012. Hope you're not too disappointed.  I have had a fascination with the concept of the Rapture for a long time, though I'm not sure I'd be one of the chosen few, swooped up, floating into a misty tunnel headed for the next dimension. Knowing me, I'd be left on earth to make soup for the survivors.

Putting all that nonsense aside, what a fun niche. Here's the thing though. You don't have a lot of time if the world ends on May 21st. So you'd better get going today. The good news is that if the world doesn't end on May 21st, that gives you more time to write articles.

People are fascinated with this topic, and now that the "end" is near, interest has heated up. Books on the Mayan calendar are selling like crazy. You can write some great articles too. Maybe you can provide some information that will help people to realize that they can't escape 2012 Christmas shopping that easily.

One guy on the news today said oh shucks, and I was going to buy a car and paint my house. The guy he was interviewing really rattled him.

Heck, I wouldn't let the end of the world stop me from having a good time.

The Mayans were marking the end of an era. Maybe even the beginning of a new age, an age of enlightenment, or the possibility of a religious miracle of some sort. Doesn't have to portend catastrophe. Why do we always think that we're going to be punished? And Planet X is not calculated to hit just yet.

So, pay the mortgage and pay the taxes, run up the credit cards by shopping for Christmas. See to it that budgets are balanced and carry on.

The end of the world could be the beginning of a profitable niche.