NEW YORK (Fortune) - Either the markets aren't used to Ben Bernanke or Ben Bernanke isn't used to the markets. Now you know why Greenspan was called "Maestro." Ben's comments on inflation rattled markets yesterday. Reminds me of Colin Powell's "Pottery Barn" theory about Iraq: " You break it, you own it." Problem is, dishes are still being broken.

METAL MANIA: Have you seen these stories about copper and aluminum thieves? Unbelievable! But it makes sense given that aluminum is near an 18-year high and copper is still around an all-time high. Copper scrap goes for $3 a pound now. Jerks are stealing it from places like graveyards urns in South Carolina and wiring from electric substations in Maine (causing power outages). A man was electrocuted in West Virginia trying the same kind of theft there. Aluminum thieves even snatched bleachers from a sports field in Ohio. So I gotta ask, do you believe for a minute that the commodities run is over? Renowned investor Jimmy Rogers doesn't. And neither do I. Sure, you got Alcoa (Research), but don't forget Alcan (Research), where you might get a boost from the Canadian dollar. (You can buy it here or there.) With copper, yes Phelps Dodge (Research) is whacko! Stock's gone from $11 to $83 over four years. Don't forget big liquid overseas players BHP and RTP (which trades here).

LINCOLN ELECTRIC: You know from this company? Based in Cleveland. Makes and sells welding equipment. Company is in the news because it begins a court case today. Company lawyers claim Lincoln Electric (Research) and other welders cannot be blamed for brain damage caused by welding fumes. Manganese and all that. Now, the litigation could drag on for a while, but I still like Leco. Even though the stock's basically tripled over the past three years, I still like it. Not that pricey and I really believe that the run by the industrial side of our economy is far from over. Company was founded by one John Lincoln in 1895--no word if he's related to Abe.

RICK'S CABARET: This company owns strip clubs. I counted 11 of them on its website. The ticker is RICK (Research). If this tickles your fancy (or any other part of your body), go ahead. Stock's been streaking! (Hardy, har, har!) Up from like a buck in '03 to $6.50 today. Me? I'll pass. Anything can happen in this business (and usually does), though it IS recession proof. Could you explain it to your kids? Let the Vice Fund have it.

Loose Change: Nick, usually from Singapore, brings us this: "Treasury Secretary John Snow was on board the Amtrak Accela Express train I took up from D.C. to NYC this afternoon. Good to see a cabinet member (and ex-CSX CEO) riding the rails with the rest of us. Was the train on time? You betcha! One conductor told me the rumor is that Snow may become the next head of Amtrak. Strikes me that if anyone can help passenger rail travel in the U.S., it'd be someone like Snow." Hope so Nick, hope so.

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