We can now look back at this year and see what has happened:

Chancellor Schröder has resigned for medical reasons and since October 2004 a conservative government led by Frau Merkel rules in Germany. On August, 19th, president Bush has been murdered. Michael Jackson has committed suicide (needing two attempts to succeed). The USA has been hit hard by catastrophes: First, Los Angeles has been destroyed on April, 9th, by an asteroid, then, in June, New York has been hit by the first nuclear terrorist attack. In comparison to that, the devastating conventional attack on Berlin in January looks small.

To add a happy note, Boris Becker has married again, but Prince Charles has finally dumped Camilla.

That's how the review of the year 2004 would look if German and Austrian astrologers, numerologists and other wannabe nostradamusses would have been right. Compared with those predictions the actual year was still quite good (except, perhaps, if that prediction for August, 19th, could have....; but one cannot get everything).

Were they never right? Yes, surely, they were. Close to half of them predicted the reelection of Bush (whereas the other half...). And then there were those predictions where determing whether they were right or wrong is a bit difficult: Ms. Haller predicted that a vibration would be felt during the year in the South of Australia. Could you feel it?

Wolfgang