Peruvian Shamans Give Obama Optimistic Predictions For New Year (SLIDESHOW)

During a ceremony to ring in the New Year, Peruvian shamans gave President-elect Barack Obama a good forecast for the coming year.

According to a local news source:

They predicted that President-elect Barack Obama will have a successful government that will promote peace around the world. But they warned of possible attacks against him by people who quote "disagree with world peace".

They also predicted that Mexico and the U.S. will experience a "desperate crisis" when it comes to the global financial meltdown.

The BBC, which has unembeddable video of the ceremony, also featured an important endnote in its story:

Despite lacking world leader status, Michael Jackson also received special note with healers saying "he would get stronger" in the coming year.

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All photos courtesy of AFP, Getty and AP.