Nostradamus's work has been commented upon periodically since the seventeenth century, with critics taking basically one of three views of the writer: true prophet, liar, or muddled mystic. In 1625, Gabriel Naud wrote that the centuries, "so ambiguous, and so diverse, obscure and enigmatic," lend themselves to prophetic fulfilment by their very nature. Nostradamus' use of "doubtful one" could also indicate that with time an ever larger shadow of illegitimacy will cast itself across a Bush presidency. Nostradamus's senate putting the king to death is too striking to ignore completely. Among the hits is the one that made the psychic Jeane Dixon famous: that the American president to be elected in 1960 would be assassinated.

Nostradamus is an interesting figure in that virtually all his prophecies deal with negative or evil events. His divining was in the manner of the occult - so the source of his visions may very well have been Satan. Nostradamus is perhaps the most respected occult prophet of all time. Nostradamus is over the heads of many people out there. They probably would like it if they spent the time to truly listen to it, but in today’s instant gratification society they don’t have the attention span it takes.

Nostradamus is extremely accurate about his predictions, many other important events in the past were accurately predicted, he even predicted the time of his death, its really amazing. He also predicts there would be asteroids coming to our earth that will kill millions of people. Nostradamus is best known for his book entitled "Les Propheties," which first appeared in spring in 1555. The book rarely has been out of print since his death. Nostradamus is (in my view) one of the best, epic metal CD’s I have EVER heard. And, being also a symphonic metal fan, I have heard lots of wannabe epic albums.

Being an armchair historian and a weekend bike rider, I signed up for the five day bike ride across Virginia and Maryland billed as the Civil War Odyssey. This ride through history would give me some insight about the people that travelled through this part of the country in the 1860's.

My special interests are in Civil War medicine, Catholic chaplains and sister-nurses, and the intersection of business history and military history.

I have been writing historical pieces for magazines and newspapers for about 10 years. In a previous study published by the American Journal of Economics and Sociology in 1989, Prof Kimenyi suggested that ethnic skirmishes could easily result in civil war.

He treated ethnic groups as "permanent interest groups" that compete in the market for wealth transfers and seek to maximise "group welfare" through the transfer of resources from other groups.

Authors Wilson-Bareau and Degener provide a fascinating glimpse into the system by which young men could qualify for careers in the French Navy in their book Manet and the American Civil War which provides the reference for this series.

A sixteen year old Manet would spend several months aboard the vessel, Le Havre et Guadeloupe on a trip for the sons of the wealthy who had failed the exam and could qualify to retake it if they sailed across the equator.

I unfortunately had to miss his game (and most others) this year as Historian conflicted with a trip to Ohio, a speaking engagement at the Chambersburg Civil War seminar, and other events (I was triple booked that weekend).

One family participated in many historic and breathtaking moments of the Civil War. Its members helped Abraham Lincoln get elected twice to the presidency.