A Warning: Of Conspiratory Theories and So-Called Predictions.

Since the tragic events of the 11th September have unfolded in its
horrific and graphic detail, it is still unclear who carried out or,
indeed, ordered the attacks and why. Also what is still unbelievable is how
intelligence agencies around the world did not pick up that something, so
large in its scale, so devastatingly elegant (it pains your Researcher to
have to associate such a beautiful word with such a tragic event) in design,
was going to take place.

It is only natural for us, as the general public, to draw our own
conclusions on what little evidence we do have, or indeed, on our own
influences and assumptions. However, just as with the principle of DNA's
'Man in the Shack', from what conspiratory theories and so-called
predictions your Researcher has been regaled, there is a reason why these
people, although well meaning, are not in the job of investigating the
atrocity.

The flippant tone only serves to illustrate just how
patently ridiculous these so-called theories are. Your Researcher wishes it
to be known that this in no way seeks to devalue the enormity of the event,
nor to devalue the lives of those who were so cruelly slain.

Of course, there are all the old ones about alien invasion, governmental
incursion into the liberties of the individual, and of course, the old enemy
of Communism. However, there are some theories which, by their own
description, seem outlandish by comparison.

The Stock Market

The New York Stock Exchange, more commonly known as Wall Street, got back
to work to face a 500 point fall, nearly 9% off its value. The Federal
Reserve as well as the Bank of England, the Central European Bank and many
others, have slashed interest rates. This would advantage those buying
houses, since lower interest rates mean a loan will have to be repaid at
a lower price. Hence, it was a consortium of house buyers who planned the
attack.

The Flags

Continuing the commerce theme; what has become evident is that many
companies have been hard hit by the incident: airlines and insurance
companies to name but a few. The only industry to remain unscathed; in fact,
report a growth in trade, is the flag manufacturing industry. Hence, the
atrocity was carried out by a consortium of flag and silk manufacturers.

Call 911

The number for the emergency services in the UK is 999. In the US, it is
911. The atrocity was carried out on the 9th month, and the 11th day of that
month. Hence, this much be a graphic method of reminding citizens of the
emergency number.

Obviously, your Researcher does think that all of these do not even
qualify for the word 'theory' to be attached to them; far from it. They
verge on the insulting, and if it were not for the lack of irony displayed
by those who dreamt them up, then it would be insulting. However, what can
be seen from all of these is that they are produced from twisted logic.
There is of course no way the emergency services would even contemplate such a horrible act. Nor would home buyers, or flag
manufacturers. It probably demonstrates more of human nature than it does a
vaguely reasonable explanation; the very strong desire to attach reason to
such an unreasonable act; the quest to find out why, and who.

There has been one 'prediction' that has stood out from all the rest, and
that is the circulated email one about the Nostradamus
'prediction'*. This Researcher, like many others, received
this one too, only a day after there had been hot - to almost the point of
flaming - discussion on h2g2 about it. For those who have not receieved the
spam, here it is in all its undeserved glory:

The Email

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.

In fact, Nostradamus has been misquoted, and deliberately so. The email
was first conceived by an unknown Canadian student in 1998, to try and
debunk the 'predictions' that he/she saw as false. It was not a direct quote
from one quatrain, but instead, a mixture of lines from different quatrains.
The result was a suitably vague, seemingly authentic quatrain which could,
in effect, predict anything; which was, in effect, what the student was
trying to demonstrate. What has happened recently, as with so many
of the forwards that people get, is that, over time, it has been embellished,
mutated and twisted to fit in with what happened. For your reference, here
are the translations for the misquoted quatrains.

C10, 72
The year 1999, seventh month,

>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.

C6, 97
At forty-five degrees the sky will burn,

Fire to approach the great new city:

In an instant a great scattered flame will leap up,

When one will want to demand proof of the Normans.

C1, 87
Earthshaking fire from the centre of the earth

Will cause tremors around the New City.

Two great rocks will war for a long time,

then Arethusa will redden a new river.

It is important to stress that he saw his mystical visions via staring
into a candle. Also, the translations come from an ancient dialect of Old
French so, in translation and over time, the true meaning may have been
lost. What has happened since is that we are left with a body of writing so
vague that anything can be predicted from them.

After all, there is only so much that you can predict by staring into a
candle.

This is not to completely debunk the theory that Nostradamus could have
predicted this tragic event. What leads your Researcher to some doubt is
the date of 1999 for the annihilation of humankind. After all, we are all,
at the time of writing, still here.

What can be drawn from this is that so-called predictions are suitably,
and one might say, conveniently vague; so vague that they themselves can be
interpreted to predict anything.

And the summary of the summary:

Don't believe everything that you hear.

Witty Ditty

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