There is a purveyor of psychic readings not far from our house, and we noticed that there has been no shortage of cars in the parking lot recently. When the economy goes down, business goes up for psychics. San Francisco area psychics are getting more requests to reveal their customers’ futures in business instead of love. A spokesman for The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal says “People turn to irrational beliefs in times of uncertainty — when pressure is on financially for people they’re attracted to paranormal and irrational beliefs.” It would seem that survival in bad times would benefit more from rational behavior, but perhaps anything that may spur creative energies is helpful when you’ve had little luck.