Dear Sharon,
Last October, I wrote: 'Bird Flu is not going to be a problem on anywhere near the scale that some folk fear. Nor, though, is it an entirely false alarm.' I still stand by that prediction so the answers to your questions (in order) must be: 1. Yes; 2. I doubt it; 3. Yes; and 4. No!

Dear Abigail,
Fifty years ago, most scientists believed a population explosion would make life impossible by the millennium. The rest expected nuclear war to wipe us all out. They were all wrong. Our current environmental challenges are real but we will wake up in (just) enough time to meet them. We may never though, find a cure for scientific pessimism!

Dear Ruth,
True success is never measured by wealth, weight or fame. It's simply a feeling you get when you're proud of how you are living your life. As for �gorgeousness� ... well that's highly subjective. Nobody on this earth has the right to say you're not gorgeous, just the way you are... least of all yourself!

We now know that �Xena� (proper name UB313) is bigger than Pluto. Even so, some astronomers refuse to call it a planet. Instead, they say, 'Pluto should never have been a planet. It is too small.' These �experts� are now meeting in secret to decide whether to rewrite history. If they do, they will simply spark a long debate that rambles on for years before they finally have to back down. Meanwhile, for Scorpios (governed, in part, by Pluto) there'll be no change.

This week, I'd like to talk to you about next week! A couple of powerful changes are coming up. If you understand how the climate is likely to alter, you can make the most of how things currently are. Mercury, the communication planet, is about to go through one - a 'reverse' phase. This happens for two or three weeks at a time, two or three times a year. When it does, letters often go astray, transportation arrangements get delayed, negotiations develop difficulties and misunderstandings occur. If you've got something you want to say, settle or sort out... do it now while the cosmic coast is clear. Jupiter also 'changes direction' next week and continues to move apparently backwards till July. Jupiter governs grand plans, great adventures and high aspirations. If you are nurturing a special hope, make at least some small, symbolic gesture of commitment to this now, while you still feel quite clear about what you want to achieve.