The Black Horse

Well, let's see. We've got:
1) Massive earthquake and tsunami with subsequent nuclear meltdown
2) Wars and insurrections
3) A potential new oil "issue" in the GoM. New link here:
 http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/20/us-oil-sheen-idUSTRE72J31V20110320
4) Overwhelming debt
5) Crumbling fiat
6) And, of course, my personal favorite...global food shortages brought about by massive inflation in dollar-denominated commodities and now, just to make matters worse, drought.

Let's crack open this barrel of laughs by starting here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703867704576182922704152088.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

For background and perspective, let's go here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/mar/20/food-farming

Next, let's read this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/james-bacchus/chinese-drought-could-cau_b_836565.html

Now let's put it in real-time and bring it closer to home:
http://newsok.com/drought-beginning-to-choke-wheat-crops/article/3550300

And never, ever forget the impact of higher grain prices on protein (cows and pigs). Remember, cattle ranchers and pig farmers feed grain to their livestock. Higher feed prices cause them to sell some of their herd early to control costs. This extra supply initially suppresses price. However, the eventual shortage of supply caused by this selling leads to much higher future price.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110309-711950.html

Again, you can try to protect yourself and your family by preparing and planning ahead. When shopping, buy two items instead of one and keep the extra in storage. Maybe even buy some seeds and grow your own garden this year. Contact a local butcher to see to see if you can buy a side of beef or even an entire, dressed-out cow.
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/12/13/how-to-buy-a-side-of-beef/
And I would be remiss if I didn't include water in this discussion. Not that water qualifies as a dollar-denominated commodity (at least not in the traditional sense), but since we are discussing preparations for an uncertain future, I would encourage you to investigate this:
http://www.berkeyfilters.com/
On the advice of the Turdites, I recently purchased on myself.

OK, that's it for now. I have no idea how the metals and crude will open this evening. None. Of course, I'll be here keeping an eye on things, though, so check back around 7:00 EST for an update. TF