Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@aol.com>]

 Contact: Kevin Christopher
 press@csicop.org


 Hoaxed Nostradamus Quatrains About Terrorist Attacks in US Circulated on
 Internet

 Amherst, N.Y. (Thursday, September 13, 2001) -- Kevin O'Neill, a reporter at
 Channel 4 News, the CBS affiliate in Buffalo, New York, brought to CSICOP's
 attention a series of hoaxed Nostradamus quatrains circulating on e-mail and
 the Internet.

 Apparently some people have absolutely no shame. Given the enormity of what
 happened in Manhattan, Washington, DC, and the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday,
 CSICOP finds it particularly despicable that hoaxers would make a sport out
 of these tragic events. Unfortunately we anticipate that there may be others
 -- self-styled mediums, psychics, and prognosticators -- using this tragedy
 to make a quick buck, see their name in print, or get on radio and TV.

 The hoaxed quatrains, with some accompanying captions and commentary, read
 as follows:

 1

 "In the City of God there will be a great thunder,
 Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great
 leader will succumb",
 The third big war will begin when the big city is burning"
 - Nostradamus 1654

 2

 In the City of God there will be a great thunder, Two brothers torn apart by
 Chaos,while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb''The third
 big war will begin when the big city is burning'- Nostradamus 1654 ...on the
 11 day of the 9 month that...two metal birds would crash into two tall
 statues...in the new city..and the world will end soon after" "From the book
 of Nostradamus"

 3

 Nostradamus' prediction on WW3:  "In the year of the new century and nine
 months,  From the sky will come a great King of Terror...  The sky will burn
 at forty-five degrees.  Fire approaches the great new city..."  "In the city
 of york there will be a great collapse,  2 twin brothers torn apart by chaos
 while the fortress falls the great leader will succumb  third big war will
 begin when the big city is burning"  - NOSTRADAMUS  He said this will be
 bigger than the previous two. 2001 is the first year of the new century and
 this is the 9th month. New York is located at the 41st degree Latitude.


 Of course, hoaxed quatrains or not, the very claim that Nostradamus
 predicted any event--past, present or future--is itself absolutely bogus.

 For more information on the bogus Nostradamus quatrains go to
 http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa091101b.htm and
 http://www.nostradamus-repository.org/.

 -Kevin Christopher, Public Relations Director, CSICOP

 ###