Already we hear of Armaged­don, in super­mar­ket tabloids, pop­u­lar mag­a­zines, and fun­da­men­tal­ist pro­nounce­ments — the first tap-taps of a drum roll of super­sti­tious fer­vor that will grow in inten­si­ty as we approach the end of the mil­len­ni­um, cul­mi­nat­ing in an apoc­a­lyp­tic hul­la­baloo in the last days of the year 1999.