fortean

Predictions are not exactly rocket science: given any event of remote importance, you will inevitably find ruminations that predicted it long prior to its occurance. The simplest way to reproduce this is to pick a number, then pay close attention to appearances of that number in your day to day life. Given enough scrutiny, you'll find that self-selected number everywhere: when you pay attention, you pay paranoia too. Fortune cookies, horoscopes, palm readings, all similar: predict a blonde haired gentlemen and suddenly the world is all Aryan all the time. More via self-fulfilling prophecy or observer-expectancy effect.

Most predictions base themselves on impossibly obtuse correlations: Nostradamus' "two brothers torn apart by Chaos" represent the Twin Towers, or that something bad will happen between November 11th, 1995 and January 26, 2008. It's rare that someone gets the date exactly, along with reasonings, in an archive whose dates you can trust.

From Steve Gray's post on alt.bible.errancy, June 29 2000:

Obviously we start with the number of the beast, 666. Now, because the Great Event will turn the world upside down, change 666 into 999. Next, because Jesus is both Man and God, therefore having two identities, multiply 2 by 999, giving 1998. (Hold it! We're not done!). Since God is Triune, add 3, giving 2001 !!! Now for the day: When the Great Event occurs, everyone who's not saved will desperately dial 911, which has immense symbolic significance. So the BIG DATE is, without question, based on the inerrant Bible, is SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 !!! God has not yet revealed to me exactly what will happen on that day, but it will be BIG BAD NEWS. Be ready or be sorry !!!

More important, however, is the fact that Mr. Gray was kidding, responding in jest to the thread starter who consigned a followthrough prophecy of detailed proportions that presumes so much as to be laughable ("God has led me to a web site". Literally!). Convincing yourself is enough proof for others, certainly. I tried to contact Steve Gray for further comments, but received no response at the latest email I could stalk out of Google. I did find his feelings on Moore's FAHRENHEIT 9/11:

Jensen criticizes the film for not doing something it did not try to do. He criticizes it for not being calm and reasoned. A calm and reasoned film would get very little attention. Voters are political idiots; they vote for personalities and need to be hit o­n the head. He thinks the movie's goals should be much broader, when there is virtually no chance of achieving those broad goals. The film's purpose, a highly worthy o­ne, is to get rid of the liar, crook, failure, and imbecile in the White House. That goal at this time is more important than anything else the voters could possibly do.

From http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=801:

... Despite promising a prompt review of its approval for a book claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood rather than by geologic forces, more than three years later no review has ever been done and the book remains on sale at the park, according to documents released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). “In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is ‘no comment.’”

...

Park officials have defended the decision to approve the sale of Grand Canyon: A Different View, claiming that park bookstores are like libraries, where the broadest range of views are displayed. In fact, however, both law and park policies make it clear that the park bookstores are more like schoolrooms rather than libraries. As such, materials are only to reflect the highest quality science and are supposed to closely support approved interpretive themes. Moreover, unlike a library the approval process is very selective. Records released to PEER show that during 2003, Grand Canyon officials rejected 22 books and other products for bookstore placement while approving only one new sale item — the creationist book.

...

“As one park geologist said, this is equivalent of Yellowstone National Park selling a book entitled Geysers of Old Faithful: Nostrils of Satan,” Ruch added, pointing to the fact that previous NPS leadership ignored strong protests from both its own scientists and leading geological societies against the agency approval of the creationist book. “We sincerely hope that the new Director of the Park Service now has the autonomy to do her job.”