Sorry for this off-topic message but I am concerned about an email making the rounds with a false quatrain attributed to Nostradumus 1654 re: the WTC tragedy. Actually the man died in 1566, so there is an obvious clue right away that it is false. I feel that at times like this spreading such things via email is the exact opposite of helpful. More debunking information on this can be found at http://www.snopes2.com/inboxer/hoaxes/predict.htm
Like any email of this sort it is a good thing to do your homework before passing it around.
[ This Message was edited by: Feadan on 2001-09-13 14:09 ]
Thanks for the sensible message, Feadan. I’ve battled mysticism, irrationality and internet hoaxes for years, and haven’t yet gotten in a pre-emptive strike like this. A tip of the hat to you.
Thank goodness for this hoax site and others dedicated to debunking the ignorance that spreads rapidly in our age of e-mail. I read a book on urban legends back in the 80s and found it fascinating (“The Choking Doberman”). This was pre-internet, of course, and this book dealt with such stories as the guy with hook that hides in your car, the doberman choking on the robber’s finger he’d eaten, etc. As for Nostradamus, his quatrains are pretty obscure and seem to suit those folks who love doomsday and conspiracy stuff. Amazing.
But if you send this message to 10 people, Bill Gates will send you to Disneyworld!
[ This Message was edited by: cj on 2001-09-13 15:43 ]
If you log onto the website of The Denver Post on Friday, http://www.denverpost.com, you can find a story that I wrote that tracked down the original author of the misquoted Nostradamus quatrain.
Hope you enjoy it.
Wasn’t it Nostradomus who originally wrote of the Crystal people? Or was it big foot? Or perhaps the perfectly tuned, sweet-sounding Generation?
Never mind. I have to go remove the hook from the door handle of my truck (boy, was my girlfriend ever freaked out last night…) and take my doberman to the vet…he can’t seem to quit coughing…
Truth is the greatest defense against panic. Not to mention against really stupid e-mail messages.
sorry for the false alarm, folks
as is the newspaper biz, my story held for Sunday’s paper. So, if interested in who wrote the Nostradamus-attributed quatrain about the WTC, check sunday at http://www.denverpost.com
again, apologies…thought it was going today.
OK, the Nostradamus that originally wrote about the Crystal People was Ralph Nostradamus of Bar Harbor, Maine. The Nostradamus that wrote about the end of the world was Ignaz Nostradamus of Briar Hill, Pennsylvania. The Nostradamus that wrote about the World Trade Center was me. I have been using a pen name to disguise my identity of Bob Pegritz. I called myself Nostradamus Pegritz.
“Any belief in a subject that has no basis in provable fact”
This covers most organized religions. I believe in a just and all knowing Creator,but I believe that organized religion is a disease that leads to the corruption of its leaders. Power corrupts,and I’ve never met a religious leader that didn’t preach their own personal viewpoint as religeous fact.
One major example of this is the universal Judeo/Christian belief in Hell.There is no mention of any such place in the Greek translation. Hell is a fabrication of Dante’s Inferno,a fictional 16th century play. The Bible speaks only of “pergatory”,a place where the soul waits for the final judgement,yet most preachers speak of Dante’s inferno as fact. You can see how simple faith can be twisted into control by religeous leaders.
Its been said that religion is a smile on a dog,you either believe its genuine emotion or not.Please don’t confuse my grasp of logic as a sign of atheism,I believe in a Creator,just not in religious leaders or groups that are closed minded and intolerant of other peaceful faiths.
T.H.
I don’t really want to discuss such a serious subject on the board (especially in such a ridiculous context!), but I’d be interested in discussing it privately. It is really interesting what the Bible actually says about hell/purgatory/salvation. (said in a very nice, non-confrontational, “Wow, this is really interesting” sort of tone )
E-mail me if you’re intested–I could perhaps point you to some interesting things to look up if you really want to know what it says.
I guess you could say I’m one of those corrupt, self-gratifying religious leaders–your assessment is an unfair generalization, but too often true! And my beliefs are founded in a great deal of fact and experience.
sigh My local news station just mentioned this particular hoax on the air…except they believed it. They even talked to a history professor who believed it!
Be sure to email them my story, too!
That should seal it!
I’m told that Dan Rather even read it over the CBS coverage the other night. I spoke with the author briefly today and he’s truly freaking. We found circulations of it in Singapore, where there’s been a rush on books about Nostradamus, to boot!
Unreal what people will believe.
Anyway, enjoy the article in Sunday’s Denver Post online!
