IP: July: From the sky will come a great King of Terror.

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

From: James Randi --- Wizard <JREFInfo () ssr com>

The millennium dumb stuff is well under way.  In March, there will be
a major conference of prominent scientists in Darmstadt, Germany, to
discuss the current furor over the Cassini space probe, which is due
to swoop close to Earth in August, coming within 730 miles of our
planet on the 18th.  Cassini is powered by 72 pounds of plutonium, and
the Greens (environmentally tuned, to say the least) are quaking at
the
possibility that Cassini will dump the load of Pu on us.

Well, chances of that are very, very, slim.  The Cassini mission is an
exciting one, very sophisticated, and very well designed.  Its
approach to Earth is a planned maneuver that will "sling-shot" it off
to Saturn, where it will arrive in 2004.  But be assured that I'm not
going to be hiding under my bed in August.

The reason it interests us so much at JREF is because Sandra Dawson,
who works with JPL as their Media Risk Communication Co-ordinator,
informs us that this giddy group of scientists in Darmstadt is going
to discuss whether Michel de Nostredame -- Nostradamus, to you -- knew
all about this potential disaster 'way back in 1558 when he penned one
of his few prophecies that actually included a date -- a practice that
most prophets eschew simply because it can't be rationalized away when
the event doesn't occur.  Wrote the Seer of Provence, in Century 10,
quatrain 72:

        L'an mil neuf cens nonante neuf sept mois
        Du ciel viendra grand Roy deffraieur
        Resusciter le grand Roy d'Angolmois.
        Avant apres Mars regner par bon heur.

        (There are several variations in spelling and accents.)

In English:

        The year 1999 seven months
        From the sky will come a great King of Terror
        To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols.
        Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.

Now, the scare-mongers are bleating, that is most assuredly a direct
prediction of the Cassini craft falling to Earth.  Really?  Well,
aside from the fact that Nostradamus is probably the most-failed
prophet in history (see my book, "The Mask of Nostradamus") and we
have no reason to believe that he will do any better with this
quatrain, the seventh month -- even in Provence -- is July, not
August.
And Cassini (1625-1712), whose name the space probe bears, was an
Italian astronomer.  No connection with Mongolia, so far as we can
see.

But facts, as always, never deter the fanatics.  JPL actually has to
produce a brief statement of facts, not only on the
Cassini/Nostradamus connection, but also on the coming solar eclipses
(a partial one February 15-16, a total one August 11) and the 1999
"planetary alignment," one of many such that take place from time to
time.  That a responsible agency like JPL and a sensible person like
Ms. Dawson should have to issue policy statements on such juvenile
notions, is frightening.  Where is our common sense?  This group in
Darmstadt would do well to clearly state that superstitious fear has
no
place in science, and get on with whatever proper discussion of any
Cassini threat there might be.

Dr. Wayne Dyer, one of the more popular current feel-good gurus,
recently lectured here in Fort Lauderdale.  A radio ad for his
appearance used a sound bite of Dyer explaining, "The ancestor to
every action is a thought."  Heavy.  Deep.  Provocative.  Did it get
better?  I'll never know.  I'm not about to pay to hear such pap
expounded -- though obviously many other folks happily do so.  The
title of his lecture?  "How to Get What You Really, Really, Really,
Really, Want."  Really?

                                James Randi. 

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- --

________________________________________________________________________
_______
 Tom Coulter (tcoulter () novatel ca)                   Opinions are mine. Ha.
 Network Systems Administrator          NovAtel Inc., Calgary,
Alberta, Canada

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"Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then
beat you
 with experience." -- unknown

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