# "Nostradamus: A Skeptical Inquiry" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493 "2002-09-24T18:54:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/1 "2002-09-24T18:54:54Z")
Wasn’t quite sure which forum this should go into . . . But, did anyone else see [Nostradamus: A Skeptical Inquiry](http://dsc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=23751000) on The Discovery Channel last night? Pretty good—Michael Schermer was interviewed, as well as a few other skeptics I’m not familiar with (James Randi was only seen in a fleeting clip). The Cosa Nostradamus came off pretty badly, I was gleeful to note. One guy dressed up like him, which immediately undercut whatever he said; another fellow just came off as defensive and gullible. About _time_ they did shows like this! I plan to send them a congratulatory e-mail and suggest they next take on the “psychic” frauds like Sylvia Browne, John Edward and James Van Praagh. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/2 "2002-09-24T19:52:40Z")
I’ll have to think about this. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/3 "2002-09-24T19:56:54Z")
You didn’t see that coming? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/4 "2002-09-24T20:02:44Z")
Hmm . . . Maybe next week, they’ll do _Lieu—The Real Poop_. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/5 "2002-09-24T20:23:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*You didn’t see that coming? \*\* Sure he did I saw a Quatrain on it The Limburger rides high for many years A fat headed man will be hailed as a conquerer A box of stupidity exposes his nudity Any way his followers slice it , it remains baloney. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/6 "2002-09-24T20:32:53Z")
Heh, too predictable! ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/7 "2002-09-24T20:36:36Z")
But what about Quasimodo’s predictions, huh? I’ve got a hunch that there’s more to them than people want to admit. Right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/8 "2002-09-24T21:00:50Z")
Didn’t he play quarterback for Notre Dame? ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/9 "2002-09-24T21:21:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\*But what about Quasimodo’s predictions, huh? \*\* That name rings a bell … ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/10 "2002-09-25T13:10:41Z")
. . . But do the name Ruby Begonia ring a bell? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/11 "2002-09-25T13:50:37Z")
Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? I didn’t even know that was on, but I _have_ read Randi’s book **The Mask of Nostradamus** : [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684190567/qid=1032961302/sr=1-21/ref=sr\_1\_21/104-9221097-0123159?v=glance](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684190567/qid=1032961302/sr=1-21/ref=sr_1_21/104-9221097-0123159?v=glance) and I assume it’s much the same material. Pretty devastating study. When I was a kid, I read Robb’s books on Nostradamus, and was impressed (he was a believer), but I was much more impressed by Randi. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostradamus-a-skeptical-inquiry/129493/12 "2002-09-25T13:54:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lieu \* > \*\*Didn’t he play quarterback for Notre Dame? \*\* I’ll have to “ponder” that.