But my mother finally proved that fortune teller wrong: Several months after her 88th birthday, she couldn't be happier or healthier.

WSJ: At 88, a World Full of Wonders

La Tour's oil painting "The Fortune Teller" (circa 1630) captures the onlookers' fascination with an exotic-looking gypsy fortune teller, but also a wariness.

WSJ: Bohemia in Paris | 'Around the Chat Noir' at the Mus��e de Montmartre and 'Bohemias' at the Grand Palais

When I asked when, all the fortune teller could say was that the black swan is aloft and already is stalking the Bernanke put.

FORBES: Black Swan Stalking Bernanke Put

"I don't mean to sound like a wizard or fortune teller, but Staten Island should strap in, " said Mr. Cooley, who expects them to arrive in New York City around May 20.

WSJ: Bugged by Cicada Brood II? Don't Be

Athletes are a superstitious bunch, but consulting a fortune teller might seem a little bit too "ancient Olympics" for many of today's athletes, who put more faith in hi-tech equipment and specialized training regimes.

CNN: Reading the Olympians' fortunes

Ms. CAROL LAM (Former U.S. Attorney): I'm neither a soothsayer nor a fortune teller, but I expect the Department of Justice will conduct itself as the department always has and as professionally and in the public's interest.

NPR: How Prosecutor Lam's Case Was Handled

By the time they reunited in 1980, Bard says, his mother, Yolana, had become a wealthy fortune-teller.

FORBES: Simply divined

Also gone this year are Debra Messing's fortune-teller wardrobe of chunky scarves and sweater coats, the target of much online chatter.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

This stuff may not stand up to scientific experiment, but a clever fortune-teller can make people think that he can see around corners.

FORBES: Simply divined