Astrology: New Age Nonsense or Scientifically Plausible?

About a year ago, I began my quest into the dubious but fascinating domain of astrology in an effort to seek answers to the queries I had of my own life and the people in it. It seemed like a logical thing to do... If everything else on the planet could be scientifically explained, personalities should be, as well. In the middle ages, astrology and astronomy were essentially synonymous subjects. Although society has come a long way since the "flat world" pedagogy, there still must be something to the old ways for them to endure the test of time.

Regardless of daily horoscopes, many people claim to identify with their "sun signs." Whereas most reasonable people tend to squash the concepts of astrology and dismiss them as "new-age, imaginative fluff," The Blonde Philosopher has philosophized a great deal about the validity of astrology (disclaimer: The Blonde Philosopher does not claim to have any scientific background whatsoever, nor does she harbor any intense interest in many of the subtopics of that field). She has not yet reached a plausible conclusion, but found herself contemplating the following ideas with her fellow blonde philosopher, Abby....

If the sun has been scientifically classified as a "star" which both sustains and affects all life on this planet, why can other "stars" not serve similar functions? If the radiation emitted by the sun is what causes this sustenance, why can not other, less significant stars emit their own radiation like the sun (though their radiation power may not be as great as the sun) at the precise time of one's birth to affect humans by creating their personality and characteristics?

If the full moon reflects the radiation of the sun, causing insanity in humans and animals, why would not other stars' emissions of radiation act in the same way? Since the earth moves, we would therefore see different heavenly bodies at any given minute. The alignment of these heavenly bodies and the radiation they create together could possibly have an affect on human life.

If the moon can control something as all encompassing as the tides, then why can the heavens not influence the tides of our lives???