Dear Raju,
I am not so sure Nostradamus linked comets to natural disasters so emphatically. His writings are notoriously difficult to interpret. It's also worth noting that several major earthquakes including the historic Tsunami, were NOT preceded by comets. Comets are traditionally bad news for royalty and political leaders who are trying to keep radical change at bay. And sorry to keep disagreeing but Virgos are not all gloomy, either!

Dear Uli,
Different outer planet alignments characterised each decade. As I recall, though, flower power was part of the Sixties. The Seventies gave us punk and the Eighties, as well as yuppies, brought the rave revolution. Since then, notable youth movements have been rare. The Nineties were not so much naughty as tediously tame and the 'Noughties' have so far come to naught... but Comet Mcnaught may yet change that.

Dear Mike,
...and the year before it was Sedna, the new planetoid that was rapidly upstaged by Eris - an even more important discovery. I stand by all I said about it, and about last year's Lunar Standstills too. But no matter how long I study them, the heavens will always have more to teach me.