By Michael Swanger

With 2007 in the rearview mirror, hope springs eternal for 2008. It’s a big year with the presidential election in November, and we Iowans are looking to our leaders for answers to some tough questions regarding the war in Iraq, the continuing threat of terrorism, global warming, rising gas prices, housing foreclosures and a looming recession. Then there are less pressing matters, like who will win the Iowa-Iowa State football game this year and which local musicians will break out nationally.

To be sure, nobody has all the answers. But just for fun, we decided to ask internationally renowned clairvoyant and medical intuitive Su Walker from Ames for the answers to some of the aforementioned questions. For the last 17 years, Walker has assisted police, FBI, CIA, CEOs, doctors, investors and farmers with her psychic readings over the phone. She has an extensive medical background, including a Bachelor of Science degree and EMT certification, and clients in nearly every English-speaking country in the world. Her accuracy and detailed advice also has landed her on cable television shows like “Psychic Detectives” and “Dead Famous.”

How does Walker do it? She starts with a blank piece of paper, writes down the subject matter and pays attention to the words and images “whispering” to her.

“In a nutshell, I pose a question about a person, place or idea in my head, then information comes to me in layers,” Walker said. “Most of it is visual and layers of transparencies — sometimes it’s a phrase or a moving image like a video or a photo. I don’t know if I can tell you what the source is, but I do know that when I pose a question I get an immediate response visually.”

Walker credits a “strong spiritual life” for her gift, but she doesn’t force her beliefs on anyone. “Sometimes it feels like the sources change within the question, like I have a panel of experts,” she said. “Sometimes the answers are expected and no-brainers, and sometimes they totally floor me. My job is to give you detail without editing. I want to be like a librarian — similar to reporting.”

Walker said she takes her profession seriously and that her accuracy and detailed information sets her apart from most psychics.

“People call me because I’m straight with them,” she said. “I also like to provide as much detail as I can. I’ll never be 100 percent right, but if 70 percent to 80 percent of my predictions are right, that’s about right for me. I’ve done a lot of investigative work with police and families of victims and about 70 to 80 percent of the time they say I’m accurate. The feedback and return clients I get tell me something is going right.”

Have fun reading Walker’s predictions for 2008.

CV: Who will win the presidency?

Su: Everything I see says a Democrat is going to win. Personally, I’d like to say it’s going to be [Barack] Obama, but as I look at him in the Southern states, it’s hit or miss. I suspect we’ll have a lady president, and Hillary [Clinton] will win the day. But when I jump forward to Feb. 16, it’s still a neck-and-neck race, then I find her moving forward. The political roots the Clintons have fostered over the years create a support structure for them the other candidates do not possess. While Obama has the charisma and vote from both the Latino and African-American population, I suspect the vast majority of voters in the Southern swath of the United States from Texas to the Atlantic seaboard don’t believe he will rule the White House and will vote for her instead.

CV: What’s going to happen with the Iraq war in 2008?

Su: There’s a whole ball of wax coming there. Our current political leadership will leave an absolute mess for the next president, and the cleanup job is not going to be easy or cheap. The whole Iran-Iraq-Syria-Egypt-Palestine-area comes across to me as a 5-pointed ticking time bomb as far as watching one terrorist action escalate to a sea of glass, as in a nuclear explosion over the desert that melts the sand. In some fashion you’ll see a nuclear explosion in that region that starts as a single terrorist act that gets overreacted to. Will we be out of there by then? Not entirely. The president will try to get us out by May of 2009, but it won’t be soon enough.

CV: Will the United States’ standing in the world improve?

Su: It’s somewhere between 33 and 50 percent much poorer than the average American knows. I wish it wasn’t so, but much of the rest of the world classifies the U.S. as meddling, controlling and thinking too much of themselves. Our next president will need to learn how to play well with others — not an easy thing. We’ve had a good eight to 10 years of not playing well, and it’s about to shoot us in the foot.

The other weird thing I keep looking at in the world is that China is very slowly creeping up in its power structure and heading to become a superpower. Technology is coming up there, though there’s a real dichotomy in China. They’ll be farther into space than we are. They’ll have the same growth Japan did between Word War II and now; China is about 25 percent through and climbing fast. Look for them to become an economic and technology force to deal with in the next 15 years.

CV: What are your thoughts about the Iowa Legislature?

Su: I don’t see a huge turnover because most Iowans are focused on the presidential election. However, I do find a greater election of women in the Legislature in the next three elections than we’ve seen in past 30 years. Almost multiply the number of women serving by three, and expect many more women to run and run successfully. Look for very strong females with an average age of about 50 to step up to the plate and represent their sisters.

CV: What do you see for our economy, including the mortgage crisis?

Su: For the U.S. as a whole, I look at our banking industry and find us way out on a limb. I’m concerned to see that at least one major lending institute [will be] bought out by another because of the mortgage situation. Too many risky mortgages have been given out over the years, and the default rate has forced smaller lenders to give over to large lenders. I look at average home prices to drop 12 percent in next two years, and I see mortgage rates climbing into double digits again. Because of mortgage increases, I see farmers who are land rich but not with a lot of cash-flow.

CV: What about gas prices?

Su: We’ve seen sudden jumps of 25 cents a gallon. I do not expect average price in 2008 to be below $3 a gallon. I think we’re quite lucky it’s sitting there now. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see gas at the $3.50 range by July. You can see it moderate until the last two weeks of March, then watch it steadily climb. It’ll be between $2.90 and $3.10 per gallon until then.

CV: Is this the year for ethanol?

Su: Yes. I usually do work for a farmer in central Iowa and do a forecast for his crops. I’ve looked already, and it will be a good year for us. I’m only concerned about high winds in mid-summer for corn. I would look for increase in corn and soybean [production], but also look for green plastic production to increase and grow quite nicely. I suspect we’ll see at least one [green plastic] plant built in Iowa in 2010. It’s a wonderful industry and a good use. Likewise, we’ll see more solar technology in Iowa. It really takes off in 2011. We will still be a leader in wind power, so do not be surprised to see residential homes starting with more wind generation or small rooftop wind generators shifting into vogue.

CV: What’s the weather forecast for 2008?

Su: I keep looking at the Gulf Stream right on top of us — the constant storm after storm, and a wetter year. I still expect this winter — between Jan. 28 and March 13 — to have four good heavy wet snows where we will receive more than 6 inches, and some right on top of another. A lot of heavy snow is coming. The other thing I don’t find is a lot of tornadoes in Iowa, but a lot of high wind storms and a much higher percentage of electrical storms than I would normally see. I do expect Kansas to have more severe weather, but it poops out at the Iowa border.

CV: What about the heat?

Su: July and August [will be] hotter than normal. June [will be] cooler than normal. May pretty neutral. Everything climbs then.

CV: Any interesting news about Iowa celebrities?

Su: Slipknot will keep climbing. They may get a keyboardist but they’re doing just fine.
There’s a gal from the Johnston area — with a name like Amanda — look for her to shift from being known locally to being known nationally for her singing. She’s blonde, in her early 20s… beautiful with gorgeous eyes. She just put out a CD and started in a generic country genre, but not really country. The music produced between now and May should do well for her. She’s very photogenic.

CV: How do things look for the local media?

Su: The whole Datebook goes interactive online, which makes life easier for everybody. If you beat them to the punch, you’d have a goldmine. The unique and interesting columns that are entertainment columns are reasons Cityview gets picked up and read more this year than others only because writers of music, theater, film and the arts tend to tell it like they see it and get read. It’s their poignancy and humor. When I look at Cityview itself, it seems people pick it up for its entertainment more than anything else like its news or features.

When I look at local TV stations, normally I think of TV in terms of the big four in the area. But when I ask about TV, the phrase that comes back is “Mediacom gets bought out or has major competition move in.” The financial struggle at the corporate level makes them ripe for a buyout if they’re not careful.

CV: What will be the trends of 2008?

Su: You know how language grows and changes? How it starts local then spreads nationally, like ghetto slang through hip-hop and to the general population? The funny thing I see is accents of English [language] around the world will change because of the increase in video chats around the world and seeing and listening to other people speak due to video conferencing, and the proverbial video phone. Watching and listening will be the norm in 10 years. Watch for the English language to have more changes that are global than ever before in the history of the English language.

CV: Who will win in football in 2008? Iowa or Iowa State?

Su: Hawks win.

CV: Which Iowa college men’s basketball team will make the NCAA Tournament?

Su: I scratch Iowa due to injuries. It shows me one calf injury and one forearm injury. Iowa State doesn’t keep their momentum going. They start good but don’t finish strong. Drake is consistent and leads the way followed closely by UNI in its success rate. UNI starts slow but gels as a team a few weeks into the season and keeps climbing.

CV: There are several minor league sports teams in Des Moines. Which one will go belly up?

Su: The Iowa Energy lacks the financial backing and cash flow to keep moving forward. The Bucs make history this year and they catch the crowd and use their energy. Look for them to have sell- out games. The Barnstormers, I like them, but I have a hard time with their cash flow. The Iowa Cubs keep sending people to Chicago, and the Iowa Stars have a normal, slightly less than average year. Of all these teams, the Bucs have the best energy behind them followed by the Cubs.

CV: Will Kirk Ferentz still be the coach at Iowa?

Su: He moves on. As recruiting begins, Ferentz is offered a position one state to the east — Illinois. The first week of March… do not be surprised if there’s a leak of information about another university wanting Kirk and talking to him.

CV: What health issues should we be aware of in 2008?

Su: There will be a small outbreak of measles in the Iowa City area. As I move between the third week of January and Valentine’s Day, I see a sweep of a bronchial virus that is very antibiotic resistant and first surfaces with those over 65 and under age 5 in local hospitals in the Des Moines area, and is quite contagious. I find it also associated with strep throat. Another unusual thing is I look at West Nile as more of a statewide problem than before and I have images of red bumpy rashes… not a serious thing, but noticeable — hard for physicians to pinpoint the source — particularly on feet and legs. Other than that, I don’t expect that the bird flu they’re worried about in Asia will become a problem here — not in 2008. But it will be a bad mosquito year because of the flooding, which comes from the sudden dumping of storm fronts. I look at the Des Moines River going over its banks about June 8.

CV: Do you see any terrorist attacks?

Su: One thing keeps coming to me, and I don’t have a good time frame for it, but I expect in the next seven years a threat to the San Diego naval shipyard. It’s almost like if I had to pick a place in the U.S. where there was an attack on our own soil or just offshore, that’s one of the places I keep getting images of and having an evacuation of that area, briefly. When I look at terrorism in the U.S., unfortunately one of the things is a threat to candidate Obama and his family. Another unusual thing is a threat to the Chicago water supply — maybe not terrorism. Another thing is a bigger problem with cyber threats — the safety of the Internet hubs coming under attack. I also find Wells Fargo’s Internet security being susceptible, and I hope they find someone who can beef up their system.

CV: Any predictions for technology?

Su: Look for Apple and Macs to climb in popularity in the next three years only because while their systems are more expensive, they don’t have the hardware and software difficulty that Microsoft has. Microsoft Vista will be a bust; nothing but problems.

CV: Is there any cosmic significance to the year 2008?

Su: In general I’ve always hated that term because it sounds new agey and out there. But in terms of things bigger than this planet that influence us, satellite-wise, I see a new sun spot cycle that will tear into our atmosphere that won’t be kind to our satellites, and I’m hoping they don’t do the refit of the Hubbell Telescope. In other things beyond earth, there has been significant talk within the last 12 months of a new asteroid. I look at that, and I don’t find earth in trouble as much as I do the moon. Anything that affects the moon affects our tides. When it passes us the second time, I think our moon takes a huge hit.

When I look outside of that at the bigger picture here, this might sound unusual, but things we’ve attributed to UFOs like the triangle crafts that are low and slow reportedly flying around the world including Iowa, we’ll find that’s our own military underground projects. A good share of what we’ve attributed to otherworldly activity is our own scientific work and research. That said, in general over the planet you’ll see more countries coming forth with their UFO files, and I don’t think China will be quiet about what they find on the far side of the moon with their space program. The photos that come out of that will surprise a lot of people. Other than that, I do expect California to have problems with earthquakes in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Yosemite will not be treated kindly. CV

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