On November 23rd, 1999, I received a strange brief letter in the mail. It had a strange stamp. As soon as my scanner is fixed, I will scan the letter, envelope, and stamp and publish it to my website.

I came close to throwing the letter away, thinking it was a hoax or practical joke. Instead I stashed it away for years in my junk/old bills drawer. The letter was written by a person calling himself Ray Lydor Sentra.

Until then, I will retype the contents of the letter here.

The Sentra Letter:

Dear Christopher,

I am writing to you not because I know you, but because I know of you. Often my written word is deliberately cryptic, but precise. This vagueness only appears so until the correct time ticks. I have a particular philosophy that prevents me from interfering with nature.. My words are meant to seem vague and spurious at first glance, but as time ticks they become vivid and clear.

I am writing to you from a different "time". You will understand one day.

I have some orders for you. At the moment they will seem irrelevant, but when the right time ticks, you will see a vivid picture.

On February 5th, 2008, no sooner or later, you will create a website dedicated to publishing my communications with you. You will name and manage the site using your own discretion. All I ask is that it remains authentic to my word and that you accept no monetary exchanges.

Currently, you are thinking that this is a joke. This will change.

Soon enough, the American Democratic President will leave office. He will be replaced by a Republican. Do you remember the President before Clinton? It will be one of his sons. Depending on his discretion, and the discretion of his inner circle, there will be a significant change in world politics. This change will come about in one of two ways: a). A blatant and unannounced shift in policy, or B). A shift in policy following a cataclysm on American soil. Either way, a major shift in world politics will take place in 2001. War will be the solution. During his tenure there will be two wars. A third will come later. Make note of the controversy surrounding this man's election.

I will contact you again, in the future, at your main E-mail address. Don't worry, I know what it is and what it is going to be. You probably have a lot of questions about myself and yourself. When you see the picture, you will do exactly what I have told you.

Yours unequivocally,
Ray Lydor Sentra

Sure enough, on Feb 5th I got an email. It contained two dated passages; cryptic, just as he said. And two strange photos with serial numbers and what appear to be dates from the future. The photos and passages are published on my website. I am told that there will be more. Here are the photos:

So what is your website? I want to here more of your story.

My website is : www.rlsentra.com

I just fixed a few typos in my last post as I scanned and posted the letter and envelope to the site. I
also published his email from the 5th. I have been instructed to publish all of our communications.

Here is the original letter and envelope it was sent in:

I want to believe, I really do but all of this sounds like a hoax.

You have no proof that you either recieved these letters (and didn't write them yourself) and or when they were written.

Also the second pick is photoshop'd.

Anways please give us the website url so I can try and figure out if this is a joke or not..

Well unfortunately all I can do is present the evidence to the best of my ability. That is the letter I received in 99 and the envelope it came in. You can believe it or not. There is nothing more I can do. As "time ticks" I suppose more might come of this. All I can say is, put yourself in my position. How would you react? What would you do?

Putting it blatantly: this whole thing is surreal and ****ed!

Hoax or not, it is an entertaining story.

In your position I would try and dig deeper into it all.. find out if other people have gotten letters... and seriously if those are the photots you got I would try and have someone analyze um, cause they dont look real at all.



Hoaxs usually are, thats why people make um.

Well they're all published and up for public scrutiny. Go hard. Analyze away. I don't even know how to use photoshop, lol, so I'm no good there. I think the McCain one looks real, but the second is a bit fuzzy and strange looking.

What do you do for a living?

A student. I'm majoring in Micro-biology in Saskatchewan, Canada.

I find it a bit out of the blue. Your not the first person to post on here about a letter from the future. Junk mail if you ask me folks sorry!

"find out if other people have gotten letters"

There's the cult classic story of John Titor (Time Traveler) who supposedly wrote messages on the Internet and made predictions ...

I for one love this kind of stuff, fiction or non. And the Internet is such a whacked-out place in its own way -- it makes perfect sense it would be one medium people from the future would try to use to communicate and at the same time it so easily lends itself to conspiracy theories and paranoia and downright madness etc. that even if such a thing really happened would it ever be possible to nail it down one way or another? (12 Monkeys)

The first photo would be easy to photoshop -- it's the presidential seal that would be the focus, not McCain, that's certainly McCain the question is is the seal photoshopped? The second photo definitely looks photoshopped -- only I'm going to be game here and point out that Bill Clinton doesn't look particularly healthy these days and it's not inconceivable he would look weirdly bloated and distorted like that in the face in the future, odd tilt to his head that there this. (Still, my first knee-jerk reaction was that it is W. Bush's body for some reason -- is that W. Bush and his wife with Bill and Hillary photoshopped on top?) Plus, logicwise -- and I'm just having fun here, I have no photoshop experience either just a news junkie background -- it's kind of odd that if Hillary Clinton isn't president and the coffin presumably holds McCain, then why are the Clintons the key focal point and Condi Rice is in the background (looking as young or I daresay younger than she looks today?). Is she supposed to be the VP, who now would be President upon McCain's death, but the Clintons get key center stage even though she was defeated? Not making sense just in a pure news/politics kind of way, nevermind examining whether it's photoshopped, which I can't do.

**** I do like that the time traveler is giving alternate scenarios, which is slightly different than the John Titor saga. It's as though he's knowing he's influencing our timeline but not clear which timeline we're going to be continuing down (the implication is there are several timelines that break off and every scenario he gives is THISCLOSE to where we are; one of them will happen). It's definitely a clever development and one that makes this slightly more interesting than the John Titor saga IMHO

this is very interesting. if it is true, this sentra guy has pickd u outta millions of other people. u must have link with all this somehow. how long has your internet site been up?

the importance of the serial AZL as well.

A is first letter of alphabet. Z is last. L is smack bang in the middle. Could it represent past, future, present. Just a thought.

I looked up the word AZL and it means isolation in Arabic. Dunno wat to make of that.

messengerAZL please post should you get something else.

Ping!

Photoshoppin' confirmed:

Good job OptimisticSkeptic.

It was kinda obvious, but now since its been debunkned, i kinda feel cheated out of a thread..

I need comfort food

oooooo the photos r fake. dont blame messengerAZL yet. he mite have been tricked himself. messenger AZL you can see that the photos are fake. I say reveal his email address.

Those letters he sent you sound like Godspeedyou!Black Emperor lyrics...Oh and yeah those photos are completely photoshopped...

The first one I don't get. McCain's facial expression is entirely different from the one you claim was photoshopped.

The second one is interesting to say the least.

I will post anything else that comes from Mr. Sentra.

-EDIT: I just googled 'Hillary Clinton' in google images. Notice she has the exact same hairstyle in almost every picture. Are they all photoshopped? Lol.

those pics mean nothing, they could have been taken at any political event, the stamps could have been added later with any of a multidue of programs designed to add text to pictures.

No real proof it came from anyone in the future. Just good analysis of current events and predictions based on those which many political anylast can do. There is always a major policy change with a new president, based on the reasons given.

Now, if this- time traveler - told us who would win a minor local election some where, or other minor yet news worthy event that will come to pass in the next month or two,(before it happens) then it would go a long way toward building credibility.

Both pictures are photoshopped ,first one look at the suit.

messenger AZL I know what it is, and it confirms something I've known for a while. I think you know what I mean, give me your email if you understand.

Oh come on! Don't leave the rest of us out!

Thanks and sorry, InHuman. Remember, though, that anytime is a good time for comfort food!

It's still an entertaining story, and don't give up hope! http://arxiv.org/abs/0710.2696

When I zoomed in on the image, I could see where his lips had been modified to make him look like he was breaking wind. The give-away is the spotlight on his very shiny forehead. That light isn't casting a shadow on his left shoulder.


Keep 'em coming!



Well, it is Hillary Clinton, not known for showing her real face!

Holy crap the second one is hilary clinton 3 years from now!

Lmao! One thing is for sure, you guys are ****ing hilarious. I had a rough day and all of this made me laugh.

Anyhow, whether the photos are photoshopped or not, I know what happened. That letter still sends chills down my spine. If one thing is true, it's this guy's ability to be right. Political analysis or not. How does one predict a cataclysm on American soil that is such a precise catalyst for policy change?

I tried emailing him and it comes back DAEMON. I won't reveal his email. Whether fraud or not, I keep my word. I believe him because of the letter. Perhaps if the photos are shopped, maybe they're done to give us a visual. All I know is I'll be sh**ting my pants if McCain is prez in November. As it stands now, I don't think he stands a chance against Obama.

For all: chris@rlsentra.com

----No spam!

No, it isnt. His mouth is shaped differently, but that can be quite easily be done. The rest of the face--- the orientation, the shape, the shadows--- all match with the original.

***Fake***

As for your "letter", as you claim. Its BS. You made it. You didnt scan that. How do I know? I'm not stupid, I've worked with CGI for years and I have a good eye. The crumpled up looking paper is a background... the message is typed up in a paint program, be it Photoshop or other. How do I know?
1. The letters dont bend in accordance with the paper.
2. The top and bottom, where it is not crumpled but more smooth and round, would be not be seen if the letter was scanned. Scanners flatten out paper.
3. Only paint programs create text that 'blurry' around the edges of the letters.

You, sir, are a fake.

No sir, I am not a fake. You just proved that you have no idea what you're talking about. That letter is genuine and I can photograph it for you if you'd like. Not like that would change your mind.

Anyhow, speaking of the devil:

From: *********
To: chris@rlsentra.com
Subject: Good day
Sent: February 11th, 2008 21:10



Hello Christopher,

The greatest thing about the past is that people think they understand the future.
Your days of understanding anything at all are yet to come...I am refering to everyone
in your time, Christopher. The reason we don't see the future by nature is because we
would have no dreams and nothing to hope for. How clearly does anyone really remember
the past? In fragments mostly. Just like the future and deja vu. What would you do without
your electric televisions? You'll find out for a brief moment what that is like; in about
four years from your current time.

Christopher, do you recall when I told you that someone else helped me contact you? Keep that
in mind before you get too discouraged. Note that, despite my future presence, my capabilities
are still limited. When people talk about subjects like this, they fail to compare the present
to the future. How many times have astronauts been to the moon in your time? When was the last
time they were there? How many astronauts have been killed just trying to get to Earth's orbit?
Like the past, the future isn't perfect. Humans are just as prone to error and slow advancement
where I am currently sitting. Basically, what I am saying is that we still have dreams and hopes
here, just as you do there. It is rather amusing how humans have a tendency to automatically
believe that the future has solved every problem. This is what I mean by hope. Even here, we still
hope the future will bring perfection. Your people have so much hope; hope that one day space
travel will be perfected and the colonization of Mars will be smooth and simple; hope that in your
day and age, a black man will be allowed to sit in the White House. If I were to tell you everything,
you would have little hope. This is why nature has blocked some of our possible perceptions.
Just think of a superficial, ugly man born blind. God is not omnipotent, but he finds ways to protect
us.

Consider everything I have just said and go watch 2001: A Space Odyssey. Do you see the hope and
imagination of the time in which that film was made? Sadly, 2001 has come and gone and your astronauts
are still floating rather than walking in space.

I will tell you more in my next message on March 13th, 2008. For now, please publish this separately:

3. MMVIII

The question is: will they miss him? The fat man with the camera might, but the Kennedys sure will not.
All is fine when all is lost, but with the winds of trade come the fall of apples. The man, the trade,
and the apples; all with a parable to spread to the masses of children who are waiting for bed-time tales.
Sure is to be sure, but the envious are desired by the wicked. Being humble and uncertain sparks the good
in the waking dozen. Tripled twice and added to the usual; this will be the gallons spilled on the left side
of the divide. Refusing to drink will be the wisest choice.
Don’t cry for him Venezuela!

Only time will tell whether I'm a fake. I can assure you that I am not.

Cheers for now.

AZL whether this turns out to be genuine or not I applaud you for atleast staying around and replying to all of this. GJ buddy, hope this story ends well.

Of course you could take a picture. Now that I've challenged you on it, you could print the picture and then take a photo of it. But why not do it. Please, go ahead. Why is it that you didnt do that the first time, when your scanner was broken?

Furthermore... why is he all of a sudden emailing you? Why did he send you the letter first? Could it be because you needed something "substantial", more than just copy/pasted text in order to start your hoax?

It's not what you think , this is an individual with sinister intentions.

verycurious tell us more, if your serious then this is worth knowing on our parts.

Well I made a mistake its the wrong guy but they are both looking for the same person.

Are you sure its even real? Sounds intrestin'as'ell..

I once spoke to a future version of myself whom knew things about me only I know, which was interesting. But it only happened in one day, and then he was gone and I never got to verify or discredit him. He told me things that I have now forgotten (its been more than 10 years ago) but I still remember the moment as curious, specially when I tried to trace his IP and it went back to me (it was in the early days of IRC).


Anyway keep it coming, and ask for more photos, you got his email. And what is he doing here anyway, whats the purpose of sending you photos and mails that doesnt really help you or anyone in any way?

Cheers

An entertaining marketing campagne dude.
The letter is nice, but the pictures geve it away, nice photoshop btw, to bad about the letter scan.

meh, real or not it's entertaining and if any of his predictions come true, will become very interesting.
i'm not going to label you a fraud like so many other people, (or believe you, on the other hand) but real or not keep these letters coming, they make for good reading!
in my mind you are either: a fraud, a victim of a cruel hoax or indeed telling the truth.
only time will tell i suppose.

Do people think can come on this site make really goofy claims, and we will all beleive it? Dang.

It's not even good Photoshop.

If this is a hoax i give you credit for goin the whole 9 yards. Since I enjoy stuff like this I'd like to place my input on the letter. The MMVIII is a way of representing 2008 in roman numerals and the 3. could be 3 1/2 in a mix of arabic and roman numerals. I have no clue what the first line could be talking about. The part about the falling apples made me equate apples with Avalon, this could be Avalon in the sense that england was often associated w/avalon or something else entirly. The left side of the divide made me think democrats. The don't cry for him venezuala could have something to do with Hugo Chavez, what i don't know, I'm more or less just fishin here.

Well, that's my 2 cents, not that anyone asked for it.

When I get home from night class I am going to add a page and form for site visitors to add their own analysis.

As for trying to explain anything or prove myself, it's a waste of my time. I will let this play out however it is intended to. I will post any further communications. As I have said, I cannot ask Sentra any questions. When I send replies to his email, they come back undelivered. Next email is supposed to be in March 13th. We'll see.

Cheers for now.

Not to mention that the paper, though crumpled, still manages to form a perfect rectangle, with perfect horizontal text.

Totally agreed, Stellar.

Oh - and a special award to Mr Sentra for being the first person in history to be able to send a letter that small without having to fold it into three to fit it into the envelope.

Hahah, good observation!

This is terrible.

I just had this vision of messengerAZL. He's hunched over a notepad, in a darkened room lit only by the pale wash of the aged 17" CRT sitting on the desk before him. He examines a posting here on UM, then scribbles more notes on his crumpled, coffee-stained notepad. All the while, he is mumbling to himself. Suddenly, a sparkle lights his eye. He tosses the notepad onto the desk, stands, his visage hard and determined, lifts his fist defiantly to the ceiling and proclaims, "Yes, YES! My diabolical plan is succeeding beyond my wildest dreams! These fools don't even realize they're giving me all the information I need for when i concoct the REAL message! Mwwwwahaaahaaahhaaaaaa...... haaa! <cough><snort> Let's see, where was I? Ah, yes, Remember... to... fold... letter..."

Not accusin', just sayin'. I can't help what comes into my mind sometimes. Tourettes, I suspect.

LOL you should be a writer.

Anyway, I'm on board with Stellar and Tiggs here. The only thing I can't figure out is...

Why would someone make this stuff up?

Could be many reasons to make it up: Being bored, trying to see if someone falls for it, marketing some product that will be launched on the site eventually, writing a book, or even just doing some research on how gullible or not people are.

I find the Titor story the most interesting time travel incident so far and it is even more interesting considering he took photos of both his machine and the instruction guide for using etc, the bent laser beam and so on and then suddenly dissappeared apperntly for no purpose such as a marketing stunt or whatever. If it was a hoax, it sure was a good one, with someone who put a lot of efforts into it, with more than average scientifical knowledge regarding time travel, possible time travel machines and how they work, parallel universes and so on. Quite fascinating.

Why do griefers do what they do? Why do trolls exist? Why do I keep posting my observations and thoughts in response to posts of varying credibility? Why did I analyze that Portsmouth, UK, UFO pic at 2am???

'Cuz it makes our brains feel better. I have some thoughts on how that happens and why, but they're for another topic.

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I have read your article. I am in India, a country having a great many ancient science systems for predicting futue of persons interested on the matter. One of the Systems, presently practicing in South India, is based on the finger prints of the person.

One has to give his thump impression to the 'Astrologer' who would read and interpret the matters pertaining to the person, which was already written on 'Palm Tree Leaves', thousands of years ago by some unknown saints. In my case I was stunned by the accuracy of the matters about me written on the Leaf much much prior to my birth (even that of my parants! It states the work of my father with high accuracy), in some ancient but still existing text. Actually the Astrologer, has no active role to play in this, except to interpret the matters written on the Leaves, after selecting the correct leaf of the owner of the Finger Print (as there can be more than one person having the same name, place of birth etc.).

The predictions contained in the Leaf included the name of my wife, who was borne five years after my birth, with tremendous accuracy. All other matters relating to life was also written there. The system is called 'Nadi Astrology' (more information can be had from Wikiepedia. Further, the Leaves contain data relating to all persons who are alive/died in the entire world, which appears correct since three more persons whom I have sant also came back leaving all their doubts about matters like death, rebirth, reincarnation etc.

I have written this because the person who wrote the data thousands of years ago would have travelled through time by way of some unknown process and have gathered the information. The prupose of writing these are not known (and, of course, may not be for making money!) as it has been stated that the purpose was to give publicity to this system of astrology. No research has been conducted on this matter, nor are there any write-ups as to how the information was gathered, which might have lost forever by way of some natural/man-made calamities.