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killthebxy-archive · 7 years

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PLEASE NOTE, before anything else, that this verse is based on my knowledge of the movies + my independent research only. i never read the books and possibly won’t any time soon, therefore, if you would like to discuss anything with me before (or during, or after) we start writing, so that we’re more on a same level, please feel free to --- i am always more than glad to learn more and improve my own ideas. this verse is also heavily influenced by headcanons and by my talks with @wildmoored & @ofherage (bless you both precious souls), and contains some lines of inspiration derived from the Life Is Strange video game. i purposefully leave the default timeline of this verse as vague, so it can easily fit any setting: golden trio era, Marauders era, Tom Riddle era, etc.

with that said, in this verse, the Starks are an ancient pure-blood family in the wizarding world, well known for the same characteristics they have in the ASOIAF canon: brave and noble hearts, quick temper, honorable and ever ready both to help & for a good fight. despite their nature, though, they aren’t anywhere close to wealthy, and are known to struggle with money every now and then, especially now that their family includes six children. Jon himself was adopted, around the same time Robb was born to Ned and Cat, when they found a newborn baby abandoned nearby their home. they decided to adopt and raise him as their own, and, while Jon is aware of this, he has a very close and positive relationship with his parents and his siblings, no matter the lack of real blood ties. to some surprise, this adopted child eventually proved to be a wizard as well, but Ned and Cat treated it naturally and prepared Jon to attend education at Hogwarts, much as they did with Robb. the two of them joined during the same year, for being practically of the same age save for a few months.

Jon was sorted into Gryffindor, as tends to happen for most Starks, based on traits such as courage, chivalry, and bravery of heart. he retains most character traits from the ASOIAF canon, still an introvert and relatively shy and very observant, though to a much lesser tragic scale --- aka not having to deal with half his family being murdered, being murdered himself, the end of the world, etc etc. for the most part, he’s as common as any other boy his age, and, while not the top student, still a fairly good one and one always motivated to learn more and improve. and, while he’s far from being a social butterfly and much rather prefers to do his own thing, he still has a few good close friends. on the other hand, and despite having a loving family and having had a very positive upbringing, Jon has quite low self-confidence and self-esteem, and falls easily to both bullying and manipulation --- for motives to be better explored in the next paragraphs.

having grown up with magic, and with Robb as his rival and best friend, Jon has a natural liking for spell casting. he may not be the most powerful caster, but his spells are usually very precise and he can perform them with relative ease --- as well, just like canon!Jon with Longclaw in hand, he is rather graceful in the casting of his spells. because he’s also naturally curious, with an interest in learning and improving his own performance, it’s not rare to find him (even on his own) trying to master more difficult spells. he’s also decent at brewing potions, though it’s not too big of a deal for him --- more like something he doesn’t mind doing for class, sometimes for fun, but definitely nothing like a goal he’d truly invest in.

where Jon’s talent truly shines, however, is in the art of Divination, for motives that dwell much farther into his story --- because, in this verse, Jon has a very close connection with the deathly hallows --- namely, with the Second Brother in The Tale Of The Three Brothers. please note that what i am going to state next is my personal headcanon, and slight deviation from the real tale as we know it.

Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared at once before him. Yet she was silent and cold, separated from him as though by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally, the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own.

before this happened, however, before the Second Brother killed himself, some events took place. being driven mad with grief for his lost lover, as mentioned, he made a final attempt to reunite with her, even if in a different life, and, for this purpose, mastered the art of separating his soul into parts to be guarded within objects and entities --- creating a few horcruxes as one last, desperate hope to be able to continue existing and, this way, be able to reunite with the woman he loved yet again. throughout the sands of time, these horcruxes were either lost or destroyed; all except one --- a newborn baby abandoned in an alleyway. the same baby Ned and Catelyn Stark adopted as their own, making Jon the final recipient containing the soul of the Second Brother.

Jon is unaware of this, as are all who live/contact with him (note: this is adaptable to thread), though some quirks in him easily raise suspicion that something is not completely regular about him. from a very young age, he would be plagued with dreams about times past that he could not entirely recognize, but that felt familiar in an unexplained way, and, occasionally, would have actual visions of events yet to happen. despite being an overall healthy child (and then teen and young adult), due to this connection to the Second Brother, he suffers from almost constant headaches and, whenever one of these episodes is more intense (particularly, the visions of the future), he will break down in a fever that lasts for a few good hours and has no bodily explanation, otherwise. these visions are cryptic and symbolic almost always, similar to Melisandre’s visions in the flames, and it takes Jon quite some effort to be able to precisely predict an event.

another clear manifestation of the Second Brother’s essence in Jon is his deep longing for a girl he doesn’t know about and never met or saw before in his life --- the constant feeling that he is incomplete and aching to reunite with his other half, without the awareness of why this happens or where it comes from. the only clue he has about this mystery girl is the image of a long mane of fire-kissed hair. note: as default for this verse, this girl, who’s also the Second Brother’s lover, is represented by Ygritte --- however, i am open to discuss this and adapt it to different thread ideas. Jon tends to be rather secretive about this story, mainly because he can hardly understand it himself, but it is an overarching theme in his daily life. for example, he’s got a liking for drawing and painting, and the bulk of his spontaneous creations are related to this girl.

yet another manifestation has to do with the manipulation of time-space. again, this is something that i am headcanoning out of my own musings, because (as far as i know) we do not have information about any sort of spells or anything else able to alter the time-space dimension, save for the time turner device. because the Second Brother was able to project his obsessive will throughout the centuries, however, creating a horcrux in the form of a baby in modern days, Jon retains a little bit of this gift. he cannot do it at will at all and it is a very consuming process, but, whenever his emotions are in strong disarray (e.g., very angry, very sad, very anxious), at times it provokes minor mishaps in the time-space --- such as rewinding a few minutes in time without meaning to, or accidentally warping objects or even to make them disappear.

on the other hand, Jon’s biggest flaw as a wizard comes from a rather mundane fact: that he has severe phobia of heights. logically, this greatly hinders his skill to ride a broom, which is something he avoids as much as possible. during his first year at Hogwarts, he actually scored a very brilliant last place in Madam Hooch’s flying class and was only able to push through it by means of exceptional willpower and determination --- but make no mistake, he’s the worst broom rider ever and will cling to you for dear life & squish your ribs flat if you make him fly anything else at all with you --- this, if he actually doesn’t slip off it altogether and smacks himself down on the ground below.

as far as his faithful companion goes, and no surprises here, in Jon’s case it is Ghost. wolves (a regular wolf, not a direwolf, in this verse) are usually not a welcome presence on the school grounds, but, thanks to the good relationships between the Starks and Rubeus Hagrid, and once the animals proved to be well trained and no threat to the students, they were allowed to live in the Forbidden Forest and to visit the castle’s outside areas, though not the castle itself.

a sum-up of general details:

default verse age: varies between 11 and 18, depending on the school year;

in post-school year threads, Jon is a professor at Hogwarts and responsible for the Divination class;

bisexual and biromantic (note: because of his longing for the mysterious girl, building up a romantic relationship with him will take time and effort, though i am not opposed to it if chemistry is present. for this same motive, unless otherwise plotted beforehand, the default, no matter Jon’s age, is that he never had a relationship before, at both sexual and romantic levels);

social drinker, more for the fun of it than anything else, and doesn’t smoke;

no tattoos and no piercings, because he personally doesn’t see the appeal in it;

is quite short-sighted and wears glasses;

sucks at winking because he cannot blink only one eye at a time.

wizarding world details:

Jon’s wand is fir wood with a unicorn hair core, twelve inches, and rigid flexibility.

Gerbold Octavius Ollivander always called wands made of fir ‘the survivor’s wand’, for having sold it to three wizards who subsequently passed through mortal peril unscathed. this wood, coming as it does from the most resilient of trees, produces wands that demand staying power and strength of purpose in their true owners, and they are poor tools in the hands of the changeable and indecisive. fir wands favor owners of focused, strong-minded and, occasionally, intimidating demeanor. unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. they are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner. minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may 'die' and need replacing.

if, in any situation, Jon was to face a Boggart, it would shift into the shape of a broom --- more concretely, one actually poking at him and trying to get him to ride it. this is the symbol of his deep fear of flying and, ultimately, his deep fear of heights. to counter it, his Riddikulus spell would change the broom into a cute dancing one, worthy of any Disney movie.

Jon’s class record goes as follows, with little fluctuation during the different years (Arithmancy was a third option allowed exceptionally to him when picking the classes to add to the core ones, based on his great talent and liking for the subject):

Arithmancy: (O)utstanding

Astronomy: (E)xceeds Expectations

Care of Magical Creatures: (E)xceeds Expectations

Charms: (E)xceeds Expectations

Defense Against the Dark Arts: (E)xceeds Expectations

Divination: (O)utstanding

Flying: (D)readful

Herbology: (A)cceptable

History of Magic: (A)cceptable

Potions: (A)cceptable

Transfiguration: (E)xceeds Expectations

finally, Jon’s Patronus charm takes the form of a Thestral --- more information HERE. Jon is also able to see real Thestrals, for having witnessed death before --- not in his current life, but in his past one. this fact brings confusion both to him and to those he tells about it, exactly because, in his current life, he’s never witnessed a death. it is yet another remnant of his existence as the Second Brother, and the tragic loss of his lover.

#long post #「ᵛᵉʳˢᵉ」ᵈʳᵃᶰᵏ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖᵒᶤˢᵒᶰ ᵐᵒˢᵗ ᶠᵒᵘˡ ʷᶤᵗʰ ʸᵒᵘ #i did the thing guys #...and it turned out huge as predicted

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sabrinamerican · 4 years

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LG - IT’S JUST ANOTHER REFRIGERATOR... (COPY BASED)

This is a mock campaign for the brand LG for their specific refrigerator model LG GN-C422SGCC. The objective for this campaign is to increase sales. It does this by showing off the features of the fridge through the copy in an informative, friendly and relatable tone to our target audience. Our campaign title “It’s just another refrigerator…” is to show that in essence it’s just another refrigerator but with special features that can benefit the user’s life.

Print Ad 1

Copy: All refrigerators need doors, but with our refrigerator, you get more than a door. You get a Door Cooling function, that little upgrade that you deserve. When your children constantly raid the fridge, leaving the door open, you don’t have to worry about the other things in your refrigerator. Because the additional air vents by the door cools 35% faster than other refrigerators. It may be just another refrigerator, but this one works harder for you.

Print Ad 2

Copy: All refrigerators stay cold, but with our refrigerator, you’ll understand why that’s so important. You’ll get LG’s own Linear Cooling technology, something you don’t have but will need. When you store food in the fridge, freshness cannot be neglected. Thus, while other fridges fluctuate around 5 degree Celsius, this one only fluctuates within 0.5 degree Celsius. It may be just another refrigerator, but this one works harder for you.

Print Ad 3

Copy: All refrigerators have compartments, but with our refrigerator, you get full control. You get the power to control the life of the fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator with the Humidity Control, extending it or shortening it, as you wish. The different levels of humidity can cause your fruit and vegetable to either have a longer life, rot or wilt faster. But if you play your cards right, your produce can retain its freshness for an extra two weeks. It may be just another refrigerator, but this one works harder for you.

Print Ad 4

Copy: All refrigerators come with a price, but with our refrigerator, you get returns too. You get to invest your money into where it really matters, especially when you’re spending less than RM200 on your fridge’s electricity bills every year. With 5 Stars on the Energy Star Rating, it only uses 374kWh every year. So you can save for your children’s education, your retirement or for that dream vacation. It may be just another refrigerator, but this one works harder for you.

notes: images sourced from cookingblueprint.com, pngio.com, pngimg.com and pngtree

CRITS

Adrina Binti Adam

The LG one i really like the copies but I don't understand the pictures. I think the middle visual should show how it "works harder for you" so when someone actually reads the whole copy, they look back to the main picture and they're like OH ok that's why that picture. Otherwise it's still like oh, is it chocolate? how does that work harder for you? This one is good for print ads but maybe not for online ads because the copy is too small and facebook does not allow too much text - only 20% text in the visual. Otherwise I like it, just the middle picture I don't understand.

Adrissa binti Adam

LG - It's just another refrigerator. This campaign is more of a miss than a hit because the headline isn't strong enough for consumers both in terms of messaging and design choice to have consumers to continue to read through the caption afterwards. An advertisement should be able to capture someone's attention upon glancing it on the first go so that they are inclined to want to know more about the product. Either visually or through your messaging. Design-wise - Your choice of colours are good as they are eye-catching if this was a newspaper ad but the design can be pushed further if you played with the typography a bit more to have it more eye-catching for consumers to want to read. Because of how thin your choice of font is, the hierarchy of the overall design is lost. Headline Messaging wise - I kind of understand that you want the audience to think that it's just another kind of refrigerator.... or is it but I think the play of words could be better to show better insinuation that it's MORE than just your regular refrigerator as well because right now the choice of words for your headline is quite passive rather than a balance of promotional/passive. Your context after is done quite nicely in both promotional/passive but because of your headline on how lacklustre it is both in messaging and also visually, it is hard to want to continue reading what's special about the refrigerator even if your context after explains it perfectly to why this is not just another refrigerator that won't push the extra mile for you.

Lyla D. Murugayah

LG Posters

I understand the copy option to downplay the fridge but with a line like that your visual should be crazier. Now there's a massive disconnect between the line and the visual and the tiny Body Copy at the bottom.2. I'm still not too sure what the visual is. Is it pencil shavings?Chocolate touilles?3. You have a line that says "A refrigerator that works harder for you". That could have been your campaign line and your body highlights a diff feature with a complementary visual. I.E Fridge door wide open and maybe a frozen hand grabbing food in the fridge. (Just an idea)4. The last 5 star rating line didn't fit into the category to me. It was too specific to this product.5. the colours used are nice bright and vibrant. 6. Overall there's a disconnect with concept, copy and visual.

Wan Rezal Ismail bin Wan Othman

For the LG refrigerators:

It looks like a traditional, old-fashioned print ad where you have paragraphs of copy. It's quite rare to see in the papers these days so I assume this may be an intentional exercise. If it isn't, then I have some concerns. Even assuming the former, the header: "It's just another x with a y," is not something that would make me stop and look at a poster ad in the KLCC tunnel or at the LRT. And because of that, it doesn't generate interest in reading the long copy that's at the bottom left.

This is a good exercise though in cracking your head on a good headline, which is important. Don't take it from me. David Ogilvy once was quoted, "On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar."

You're onto something with the approach. It's a twist on "It's NOT just another x with y," which loans points to originality. However, the execution on the copy needs a little empathy. If a salesman has less than 10 words to warm your heart on a product, is "hey buddy, I'm just another windows cleaner salesman," going to attract your attention or make you shut your door?

You have to fill in the need in your audience. As far as copywriting goes, the most obvious one is:

"It's just another x with y BUT" —> Which I'm sure was scrapped because it's just as unoriginal as "It's NOT just another x with y."

Where my suggestions lend in is to utilise and connect your long copy to your headlines, and maybe play with it a little bit i.e.

"It's just another refrigerator which uses rocket science to fuel cold air."

"It's just another refrigerator with a 20 star energy rating."

It's absurd, too good to be true, but it would personally make me look deeper into what you're trying to sell.

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

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Catholic Prophecy - Part 22

THE END OF THE WORLD

Christ Himself has warned us that "no one knows of the day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but the Father only." {Matt. 24:36). It is futile, therefore, to attempt to determine any date for the end of the world. At the same time, however, Christ gave us a number of signs to watch for, and he added "When you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the door." {Matt. 24:33). Now what are these signs?

1. The Gospel shall be preached in the whole world. 2. A universal falling away from the Faith. 3. The coming of Antichrist. 4. The return of the Jews to the Holy Land. 5. Widespread disturbances of nature.

St. Alphonsus di Liguori enlarges on these signs as follows: 1. The Gospel shall be preached freely in the whole world. 2. All the nations of the earth shall fall away from the Faith. 3. The Holy Roman Empire shall collapse. 4. Antichrist shall come. 5. Henoch and Elias shall return to preach. 6. The Jews shall return to the Holy Land. 7. The powers of heaven shall be shaken. 8. The stars shall fall from heaven. 9. Widespread earthquakes, tidal waves, lightning, wars, famines, and epidemics shall occur.

Now, the question is this: "Have any of these signs come to pass already?" The answer cannot be definite and clear cut. It may be asserted that the first two signs are already here: indeed, the Gospel has been preached in every nation, and there is overwhelming evidence of a general falling away from the Faith. Yet, it has been, and it may still be contended that the preaching of the Gospel must be absolutely world-wide and reach every single human being, and not be merely confined to pockets of missionary activity in every nation. It can also be objected that the current faithlessness is not general enough to be applied to the second sign; indeed, the Church is still very active and influential. Some statesmen are openly 90 Catholic Prophecy professing their Catholic Faith; some governments are wholly or almost wholly Catholic (e.g., Spain, Portugal, and Ireland).

In my opinion, the two interpretations are valid if given the necessary qualifications. This is so because there are two different stages within the Latter-Days period: the first, heralding the final stage, being of lesser intensity; the final stage bringing about the consummation of the world. To each of these two stages will the proximate signs of the End apply. Thus, we are now about to enter the first stage, the Great Disaster which is imminent and which will be followed by a period of peace. So, we can already see the signs of its coming: the Gospel has been preached in every nation (although imperfectly), and the falling away from the Faith is worldwide (yet incomplete). Then, the lands of the former Roman Empire will be in a state of utter chaos and anarchy. Communism (a prefiguration of Antichrist) will triumph (but its victory will be as short-lived as that of Antichrist some thirty years later). The Great King to-be and the Holy Pontiff will reveal themselves to the world and fight Communism, thus prefiguring Henoch and Elias. Stones will fall from heaven; earthquakes and tidal waves will wreak havoc throughout the world; famines and epidemics will be widespread. Thus will come the end of the first stage, or "the Good Friday of Christendom." The resurrection will be spectacular: the Great King will be the Emperor of Western Europe, and anointed by the Holy Pontiff. Many Jews and all non-Catholic Christians will turn to the True Faith. The Mohammedans will embrace Christianity, as also the Chinese. In short, virtually the whole world will be Catholic. This universal preaching of the Gospel, in turn, will constitute the first sign of the second stage. Toward the end of the Great King's reign, people will fall away again from the Faith (the second sign). Then, the Holy Roman Empire will collapse (Third sign). Antichrist will come (Fourth sign). Henoch and Elias will be sent down again in order to fight Antichrist (fifth sign). The Jews will return to Palestine (sixth sign). New disturbances of nature will take place (seventh, eighth, and ninth signs).

This personal interpretation of mine is based on my knowledge of a large number of private prophecies, and on extensive and painstaking cross-references and correlations made many years ago, when I was in a position to devote much time to studying these prophecies. Moreover, this

The End of the World 91

interpretation is not incompatible with Scripture. Indeed, Scripture supports it in many cases. We read in the Gospel, for instance, a description of various evils followed by the caution: "But the end is not yet" (Matt. 24:6), and, again, a description of pestilence, famines and earthquakes, with the conclusion: "But these things are the beginnings of sorrows," (Matt. 24:8), the first stage only. Then, we are told that "the Gospel is to be preached in the whole world" {Matt. 24:14) before the End finally comes. In Verse 15, another description of these events is given, but it is clear that Verses 9 to 14 formed an indivisible whole, as did Verses 4 to 8. Then, at the end of that third passage (Verses 15 to 22) we are informed again that those days will be shortened for the sake of the elect, otherwise no living creature would be saved.

For the above reasons I regard it as certain that there will be two different stages. The first stage will only be the beginning of sorrows, and it will be shortened for the sake of the elect, and the Gospel will then be preached throughout the world. This will be the period of peace under the Great Monarch, the period of conversions and general prosperity which we and our children may enjoy — in short, the period of peace promised by Our Lady of Fatima. NOSTRADAMUS |j 75. Michel De Nostredame (Michael of Our Lady) Known as Nostradamus. Nostradamus was born in the South of France in 1503 where he studied the humanities. He obtained his doctorate in philosophy and medicine at the age of twenty-six. Later, he was appointed adviser and personal physician to the Kings of France, a post which he retained through the reigns of Henry II, Francis II, and Charles IX. A member of the Third Order of St. Francis, he enjoyed the friendship of Pope Pius IV. He was a devout Catholic all his life, and he died in 1566.

I make no apologies for quoting Nostradamus. I am aware, of course, that he is not regarded very highly by some of the more educated people in this part of the world, although he enjoys considerable popularity among lovers of sensationalism. This unfortunate state of affairs has been brought about by the shameless commercial exploitation of his works. In point of fact, however, Nostradamus was an authentic seer and, in the Old World, many an erudite has not deemed it beneath his dignity to spend long hours poring over his predictions. The list of lay and clerical authors who have written books on Nostradamus over the last 150 years is quite impressive, and I once knew a medical specialist of high renown, a man of great learning, now deceased, who wrote at least three books on the prophecies of Nostradamus. His familiarity with the Greek and Latin languages and with the dialect of southern France enabled him to decipher many of the most obscure of Nostradamus' coined words.

Yes, I have every reason indeed to regard Nostradamus as a genuine seer. I know that Dr. Rumble of Sydney would not agree with me, and Dr. Rumble is quite an erudite too — on a par with some of the clerical writers I have just mentioned. But, however great his erudition, Dr. Rumble had to specialize in breadth of knowledge rather than in depth. This was required by his very functions as a ''Radio-Replies" man. No one could possibly answer such diverse questions as he was 94 Catholic Prophecy

asked without having at his disposal a good library of reference books. But once you consult a work of reference, you have to take at its face value the information given therein. On controverted questions, this is unreliable.

Although a pygmy compared to the intellectual giant that Dr. Rumble is, 1, on the other hand, became acquainted with Nostradamus not less than thirty-two years ago and feel entitled to say without exaggeration that I know the man and his works. Not only the man and his works, but also a number of the works that have been written about him. This necessary introduction being made, here now are some of his prophecies.

f75.1 4.50 Libra shall see the Hesperides reign, Of heaven and earth shall hold the monarchy, Not to perish under any Asian forces, Until seven in rank have held the Hierarchy.

Comment: A bad start, you may say! It is unintelligible. Not really so, however, once you are fully acquainted with Nostradamus' symbolism.

The Hesperides' Gardens is that fabulous land of plenty, west of Gibraltar, from which Hercules brought back to Greece the Golden Apples. That land is the United States, and the above quatrain, interpreted, should read thus:

Under the sign of Libra, America shall reign, Shall hold power in the sky and on land, Shall never perish under Asian forces, Until seven Pontificates have passed.

Comment: As a great world power, the U.S.A. began its "reign" during the First World War — but it was not the greatest world power; in 1918, that was France. In 1945, however, the U.S.A. was, by and large, the greatest world power. I think it is from the reign of Pius XII that the seven Pontificates must be counted, and this brings us to the last Pope according to St. Malachy's list — when the world will end. It is debatable, of course, whether the U.S.A. is still the leading world power; the inane policies of the Washington politicians since 1945 have been quite successful in lowering U.S. prestige and influence, and the Vietnam War seems to Paragraph 15. 1 95 suggest that the giant has feet of clay. However, it must be borne in mind that the Washington politicians have never really wanted to win the Vietnam War. That war could have been won within a few months if the U.S. Army had been allowed to land in North Vietnam. Finally, in the unlikely event of an all-out war with Soviet Russia, I am inclined to think that the U.S. would prove the stronger of the two. The greatest weakness of the U.S. is moral corruption. But, miraculously, when an all-out war erupts, people pull themselves up by the bootstraps and forget about drugs and sex. On the other hand, the greatest weakness of Soviet Russia is internal discontent, and when a global war breaks out, the dissenters, far from rallying round the Government, may seize this unique opportunity to revolt. We saw this during World War II when whole Russian armies, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, defected to the Germans and were anxious to liberate their homeland under the leadership of their general, Vlassov. To my mind, this is why Soviet Russia is so careful in its dealings with the U.S. They just do not relish the prospect of a global war. And if the Washington political careerists had taken this into account since 1945, it is fairly certain that Communism would now be a thing of the past — without any war. The history of post-war U.S. diplomacy is a story of missed opportunities.

I must be pardoned for elaborating on the subject. But this study in prophecy would lose its significance — in fact might become irrelevant if I did not examine the political context of the period to which these prophecies refer. So, let me explain a little further the story of "missed opportunities."

In 1945, the U.S. was the only nuclear power in the world. When the Soviets decided on the Berlin Blockade, what did the U.S. do? At great expense, it organized an air bridge; whereas, the only logical answer worthy of the leading nation was to force the way with tanks through the blockade. No, there would have been no war: the Russians could not afford it. But their loss of prestige in the satellite countries would have been tremendous, and the consequences for them would have been incalculable.

Next came the Korean War. General MacArthur had a plan to finish it quickly, a plan that would have in the process brought to its knees the rising power of Communist China. But Washington opposed it and recalled MacArthur (as a 96 Catholic Prophecy

reward for his genius, no doubt). In 1956 there was Hungary; after the popular uprising, the Russian tanks left the country and remained poised for several days on the other side of the border, waiting to see what action the U.S. would take. Meantime, the newly-formed Hungarian government asked the U.S. for support — which was refused — and they then approached several European countries. Spain offered to send a few planes, but refuelling facilities were required in West Germany. West Germany did grant, or was about to grant, those facilities when the U.S. stepped in and threatened West Germany with economic sanctions. Bonn had to back down. Result, the Russian tanks poured back into Hungary and crushed the uprising in a bloodbath.

Is it the end of the ''missed opportunities?" Not in the least! but I cannot review them all: Yalta, Poland, East Germany, the Middle East, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, Czechoslovakia, the list is long indeed. And, except in these last few years, the risk of all-out war with Russia was non-existent. Even now, this risk is minimal if the Washington politicians would but allow the U.S. Army to show its teeth.

Back now to Nostradamus. He foresaw the Age of Enlightenment and the subsequent development of the printed word which man is using to boast of his achievements. It is to be noted that in his time printed books were still comparatively few.

\\ 75.2 Letters will do such great and unequalled boasting . . . He foresaw the development of radiology and, as his apposition of "rare metals" and "waves" makes clear, the development of nuclear power — a thing which was undreamed of in his time.

U 75.3 "The complete transformation of incorruptible metals and mysterious waves. . ." (i.e. Plutonium and Gamma and Beta rays).

He foresaw the decadence of the spiritual and temporal powers (the Church and the secular governments), modern irreligion, and the general revolt against authority; plus, he foresaw that the Church would be affected first. Indeed, it is only within the last twenty years that anarchy has been spreading; whereas, irreligion began in the 18th century.

Paragraph 15.1 97

|f 75.4 "Momentous and painful events, calamitous adventures are drawing close . . . first, the temples of the Lord; then, those whose power is on earth, when the enemies of Jesus Christ shall begin to multiply. . ."

He also foresaw much of what the other prophecies mention:

|f 75.5 "I find that learning shall be at a great loss, and that so many great floods shall happen before the universal conflagration, that there shall scarcely be any land that shall not be covered with water, and this shall last so long that except from what lives on mountains and in waters, all shall perish. Before and after these floods, however, there shall be such scarcity of rain and such a great deal of fire, and burning stones shall fall from heaven, that nothing unconsumed shall remain. The world shall be so diminished, and so few men shall be left on earth, that not enough will be found to plow the fields, and these will stay in fallow as long as they had once been tilled."

He gave the correct date when the Christian Calendar was abolished in France: (It was restored later by Napoleon I.)

|f 75.6 "And it shall be in the year 1792, which will be thought to be a renewal of time. . ."

He foresaw the rise of authoritarian regimes in Italy, Germany and Spain (Mussolini assumed power in 1922, Hitler in 1933, Franco in 1938).

|f 75.7 "And three regions shall be over a wide extent of leagues, namely, the Roman, the German, and the Spanish. They shall be equal in nature, but much different in faith."

There is another passage that should be inserted before the last sentence above, but it is practically impossible to translate it satisfactorily as the sense is quite obscure. However, it clearly refers to a war, and two or three countries, by indicating the nearest latitude of their capital cities. Thus, 48° for Paris (although it should really be 49°); 50° for Prague; 52° for London, Berlin and Warsaw. It goes on to say that 98 Catholic Prophecy

the first areas (50° and 52°) will be the first to "tremble", followed by the Western, the Southern and the Eastern, in that order. Indeed, Prague and Warsaw were the first to "tremble" (March 1939 and September 1939). Then, came Paris (May 1940); Greece (October 1940); Russia (June 1941). It could not have been more accurate. Yet, it is impossible to reconstruct this passage, which is a jumble of verbs, nouns and adjectives, with no apparent connection. This obscurity, of course, is deliberate. In nine different passages at least, Nostradamus explains that it is not expedient to be too specific and that he has "roughed up" his original vaticinations so that they might be passed by the ecclesiastical censor. "But," he says, "I could have given the dates for every event which my prophetical instinct enabled me to see because I have worked out all dates through astrological calculations." Nostradamus had a natural gift of clairvoyance coming from God, of course, as all things come from God, but not immediately inspired by God. Moreover, he was a scientist and an accomplished scholar. Astrology had no secrets for him, and it is his knowledge of astrology that enabled him to find out the dates (he gives precision's about this in twelve different passages).

Astrology is, to the mind of modern men, a superstition, but it was not so in the past, in those so-called Dark Ages which, in his foolish pride, modern man derides. Astrology was then held in high esteem by men such as Galileo and St. Thomas Aquinas. It is only comparatively recently that rationalistic philosophers and scientists decided that there was nothing but superstition in Astrology (although, to be sure, a great deal of what is currently presented as "Astrology" is just that). Yet, some fifteen years ago in Paris, a group of biologists and radiologists established experimentally that the sun and the moon did influence some biological processes. And since the exercise of our free-will depends on our thinking power, which in turn rests on biological processes, it is not hard to see that the stars may indeed have a bearing on the future of mankind. Let us consider another passage on the Second World War: fl 75.8 "Italy, emulating Ancient Rome, will raise great armies and put her wings high in the sky (planes). And at that time, great Bysantine sails (the British fleet based in the Paragraph 75.8 99

Middle East), with the help and power of Aquila (the American Eagle), shall meet the Ligustics (Italians) and hinder them so, that the two Cretans (the perfidious ones: Hitler and Mussolini), shall not keep their faith. In the sea, there shall be great commotion, beginning in the Panpotam (Sicily) to the European Mesopotamia (Italy) at forty-five and others, from forty-one, forty-two, and thirty-seven/'

Comment: This passage would have been incomprehensible before the events it describes. But not so now. kk Pan-Potam" means Sicily because this coined word means in effect "island". European "Meso-Potamia" means Italy because the word means ''Peninsula" in Greek. The figures 45, 41, 42, and 37 are degrees of latitude. And so, this passage can be explicated as follows:

"Italy will emulate Ancient Rome. She will raise great armies and put her planes in the sky. But the British fleet of the Middle East, supported by the Americans, will confront the Italians with the result that Italy and Germany will not keep their faith. There will be great activity at sea. It will begin in Sicily (where he Americans under Patton, and the English under Montgomery landed in July 1943). It will be then carried to the mainland of Italy."

All this is strictly correct: the Anglo-Americans landed in Sicily first (37° of latitude), then on the mainland at Naples and Salerno ( Between 4 1 ° and 42° latitude) where bloody fight- ing took place. Finally, the war ended when the Allies had reached the North of Italy (45°). Meantime, and even before the Salerno landing took place, the Italians had broken their faith with Germany (six days before, exactly), so that the Fifth American Army of General Clark was confronted, not by Italian troops, but by German troops under Rommel and Kesselring. Let us now turn to Nostradamus' prophecies of events yet to come.

As the above passage has shown, it is extremely difficult to interpret Nostradamus' predictions before the events. Once the events have come to pass, however, some significant details always make it possible to identify the passage concerned. Regarding the future, therefore, all one can do is to give an outline, and qualify any possible interpretation of de- tails by means of a question mark.

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