What a Day

I can't begin to express my sadness at the events unfolding today at the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, VA: 32 Dead in Shooting Rampage at Virginia Tech. This has been the most tragic shooting of it's kind in US history.

In other news:

• 2nd heaviest rain in NYC 's history.
• Flooding in Boston, New Jersey, West Virginia.
• Bee population being decimated by mysterious cause.

Buy Fruit While You Can

While this is only a major problem in California, the winter is still young. There are still 3 more months through which Florida must remain freeze-free. If anything happens to those crops, we're in a lot of trouble. For the time being, expect prices to rise for citrus, strawberries and avocados. So far, this has cost $1 billion in crop destruction, and may amount to the worst such case in California's history. AP Reports:

Three nights of freezing temperatures have destroyed up to three-quarters of California's $1 billion citrus crop, according to an estimate issued Monday as forecasters warned the weather could continue.

Other crops, including avocados and strawberries, also have suffered damage in the cold snap, agricultural officials said.

"This is one of those freezes that, unfortunately, we'll all remember," said A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The latest freeze will likely surpass the damage done by a three-day cold snap in December 1998 that destroyed 85 percent of California's citrus crop, a loss valued at $700 million, Kawamura said.

2007 Has Started, and Already the World is Going Crazy

Looks like 2007 is off to a tumultuous start. I've always said that odd years are the bad ones. Here's just a few headlines from today:

New York City plagued by mysterious fumes that cause panic and require evacuations.

Downtown Austin, Texas evacuated and shut down due to mysterious bird deaths.

Fund Manager who predicted the 1987 market crash and the 2001 gold rush predicts severe market "correction" in 2007. That means, sell now before the crash.

Killer Bees found near New Orleans.

Iran threatens to stop oil flow.

Possible bomb found at Port of Miami.