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This is the fourth part of The Simple Dollar Book Club reading of Your Money or Your Life. Want to know more?
The middle portion of the first chapter focuses on the "fulfillment curve," which basically refers to the idea that once you reach a certain level of luxury in your life, anything beyond that level is merely diminishing returns.
I believe pretty strongly in this phenomenon. Let's say, for instance, that I decide to buy a new game for my Nintendo Wii. I find three in the store that seem interesting. Almost always, I am far better off just buying one of them than buying all three, and the reason has nothing to do with money.
If I just buy a single game, I take it home and just deeply enjoy that single game, playing through it and discovering the nooks and crannies within. However, if I took home all three games, I'd end up playing games for the same amount of time that I would otherwise and not enjoy each individual game as much.
One of the deep problems of consumerism is that the average American tends toward buying more. They would rather have more stuff that, per item, they have less time to enjoy than less stuff that, per item, they have more time to enjoy.
This is connected directly with the clutter problem, also discussed here. This tendency to buy extra luxury items gradually fills a home with lots of clutter – unnecessary stuff that just sits there taking up space when the money invested could be used to help build a more fulfilling life.
Clutter doesn't end there, though. Anything simply wasted in your life is clutter, from unused time spent just wandering aimlessly around a store or sitting and staring blankly at a television (why not take a nap, at the very least?). Perhaps your emotional life is filled with clutter, as you spend time and money trying to continue relationships that no longer fulfill you.
Can you think of sources of clutter in your life? Almost always, identifying sources of clutter and then scaling them back until you hit that sweet spot on your fulfillment curve is worthwhile. This is just the beginning, though – finding the real root causes of that need for clutter and treating that cause is transformative.
Tomorrow, we'll finish up the first chapter, focusing on the section "Step 1: Making Peace With The Past." That section is on pages 29 through 39 in my paperback version of the book.
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The current price of 50-60 dollars per barrel limits the number of new wells that can be drilled at an economically reasonable price. As a consequence, the drilling activity in the United States collapsed by 50%. Now that OPEC has stopped playing its regulatory role, American unconventional oils may well be the main balancing factor on the market. At the same time, the industry has already begun to adapt very quickly and the possibility of lower costs will play a very important role in this evolution.
The dawn of a new era for oil in North America: from insecurity in energy supply to insecurity in market access
The resurgence of global oil prices in the early 2000's has created the conditions for the rapid deployment of a number of new energy technologies. In the last few years radical changes affected supply, competition, demand and social license. North America is now entering a new era in which economic, environmental and energy policy will not be defined by insecurity in energy supply, but by insecurity in market access.
Ecologically speaking, coal is the worst energy source around. But it nonetheless possesses some almost irresistible features. It is still abundant, easy and cheap to mine. Promising technologies could allow cleaner, healthier ways to burn it. Let's have a look.
Did you know that in Denmark, thirty plants consuming a yearly 3.5 million tons of waste cover 5% of domestic electricity demand and 20% of heat? The production of energy through waste recovery and recycling is booming. But so diverse are the technologies that a closer look is needed to assess the potential of the celebrated urban mine.
Thanks to scientific breakthroughs, more than 16,000 desalination plants are producing water in 150 countries, including in China, India, Australia, Chile and the U.S. The industry is booming.
Our great-grandparents barely used a dozen different metals. Today, household objects contain virtually the entire periodic table. Mineral raw materials are vital to the functioning of a modern economy, in particular where deploying new technologies is concerned. The prices for some metals have experienced meteoric rises in recent years, and competition is fierce for access to resources. As a matter of fact, what do we know about these resources exactly?
Among critical mineral resources, rare earth metals occupy a special place because they are part of the core of many future technologies: electric cars, smartphones, wind turbines. Resources are now concentrated in the hands of a few players. Can this situation be reversed? What are the risks entailed for industrial sectors downstream of production?
In the United States and in Europe, hydraulic fracturing is one of the most controverted aspects of the shale gas debate. The dialogue of the deaf around the impacts on the environment generates many overstatements from both camps. The arguments put forward by the two sides deserve attention, but one would be wrong to stay stuck there: research is already in motion and new techniques are emerging.
Tomorrow, urban wastewater treatment plants will be more than just decontamination factories. They will also produce a wide scope of resources, from water reused for human needs to green energy, bioplastics or even mineral components. Wastewater treatment will be a key issue in the development of a green economy: researchers will be able to combine biotechnologies, biochemistry and microbiology with chemical engineering and applied mathematics.
The global market for commodities has profoundly evolved over the last ten years. The dynamics between large producers and consumers have shifted and new factors have been added to an already complex equation. Within this context, both governments and large industrial firms are being forced to rapidly redefine their current strategies with some moving more swiftly than others.
In 2009, Poland set out to produce shale gas and oil. This choice has taken in consideration the economic outlook, but also sensitive issues like energetic independence and exiting an all-coal powered policy. The Polish experience has thus embarked in a particular situation. Can it serve as a role model for other countries?
The growth in unconventional hydrocarbons has passed from adolescence and is approaching an age of maturity. Yet, optimism must be offset the concerns for those living closest to the revolution. Glancing back over the North American and Australian experiences some preliminary conclusions can be drawn. While best practices are making a contribution to sustainable production the equation will remain incomplete without fearless public debate of the subject.
Micro-algae are driving a small technological revolution. Their cultivation marks a new era in the production of biofuels, reinventing industrial processes as well as economic models. In the United States and Europe, several projects are now moving from an experimenting phase to actual operation.
The spectacular boom in both production and consumption of unconventional gas in the United States is a success story that few would have predicted at the dawn of the new millennium. Large oil companies are fighting to make up for this missed opportunity. Through mergers and acquisitions they have made the sector a key component of corporate strategy. The stakes could not be higher and decisions made now will have huge consequences for the future balance of the global energy industry.
"Are we entering a golden age of gas?" The question was posed in the latest IEA report and if the experts are to be believed the response is firmly positive. They have made predictions of a bright future based largely on the emergence of unconventional natural gas. The United States has witnessed a gold rush more commonly associated with the nation's frontier past, one that is raising some serious concerns for the environment.
China's decision in 2010 to limit production and exportation of the rare earth metals on which a number of industries rely set off alarm bells among the country's trading partners. This was particularly true for the chemicals industry. The President of Rhodia Group's Rare Earth Systems took time to comment on the current situation with ParisTech Review in Spring 2011.
As recently as mid-February copper prices hit an all time high of $10,157 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange. While the market has cooled off in the intervening months the spike set off alarm bells for decision makers in government and business on how to approach overheated commodities and energy markets. Should the current climate be viewed as a passing anomaly or a permanent reality? Just how real is the threat of a shortfall?
The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig has dealt a heavy blow to BP. Finding its very integrity and sustainability threatened, the company witnessed its stock market value plummet. Today, its shares are worth about half of what they were before the disaster. However, the heavy penalty that BP will have to face could paradoxically have a positive impact. By highlighting the financial risks of inadequate management of environmental hazards, it could make investors more aware of the environmental factor. And, it could push governments to adopt measures reminding investors of their obligations, if required.
As bad as the BP blowout was, it could have been worse. In some ways, the disaster at the Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was well placed: it happened "only" 66 kilometers from shore and "only" 1,500 meters above the seabed - and it threatened one of the richest and best-insured countries in the world, guaranteeing a mammoth media, industry, and government response. With oil drillers moving into ever deeper and more remote waters -and arguably farther away from regulators- could future spills be even more devastating?

subset: commoncrawl


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My questions are: what subjects do millionaires and billionaires know that the middle class and lower classes don't know? Where do they spend their time and energy to reach their current status? Who do they talk to for help and guidance? I want to thank for the answers to my questions. I feel more clarity and direction in my life. And I want to thank the...
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My spouse recently passed away. We haven't filed income tax in the past 3 years. We were planning of filing this summer, now I am wondering if I will be left to pay for his portion of the taxes. If I file as head of household, will I still be responsible for his portion of his taxes?
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I am getting remarried and have 2 children. I own a home however I do still have a mortgage. I also have funds in my 401k. Can a prenup protect my home and current and future 401k savings in the event of death or divorce from my new spouse. I would like these funds to go to my children, even though some of the money that goes into them will be from money earned...
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We are considering hiring an education consultant to work with the kids to plan for and apply to colleges. This person helps them fill out college applications, write essays, visit colleges, apply for scholarships, prepare for ACT/SAT tests, etc. Website is http://www.collegeexpert.net/. I am wondering if this is an expense that would qualify as an approved...
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I live with my girlfriend at her house in az. We are not married but carry the same address. I feel and suffered a horrific accident which has put me out of work and compiled many medical bills. Since I am leagally not a family member, can I file a claim of medical expenses with her homeowners insurance policy ?
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a teenager inherits a sum in excess of $10k and wants to save it without affecting his financial aid for college, what is your advice?
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My daughter is 16, we set up Coveral Education for her since she was little. we stop contribute years ago, currently inside of Coveral education IRA has approx $25K, after we stop contribute to coveral education IRA, we set up 529 for her, now at 529, she has $22k. I hear that coveral education IRA is her assets, and 529 is parents assets, so Coveral education IRA...
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AN 18-point cushion at the top of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League does not just provide comfort for Celtic.
It will also soften the blow for St Johnstone should things not go according to plan this evening, when the Perth side step out in front of a title procession which is being carried out with all the subtlety of a juggernaut with faulty brakes; the league leaders having gone on a run of six straight league wins during which they have only paused long enough to score 26 times. They are not so much putting up the shutters at McDiarmid Park as bracing for impact.
Celtic are on a bit of a roll in the league then, and duly flattened Dundee United 6-2 at the weekend, even if such a result will come to be viewed in isolation. Jackie McNamara will have learned much about his United team during that match but the lessons will be more stringently applied in games against sides of similar standing, starting with Motherwell tonight. The outcome of that meeting will also be of interest to St Johnstone since all three clubs harbour ambitions of qualifying for Europe this season, and it is how they size up against one another which will deliver the true measure of their success.
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St Johnstone have squeezed into the top six on goal difference, holding off both Kilmarnock and Aberdeen, and will be aware that they will be back among the qualification places for the Europa League should they manage a win tonight. Having already taken four points from Celtic this season, they perhaps have done more than most to upset the champions' momentum – a 5-0 defeat in the quarter-finals of the Scottish Communities League Cup aside – but Steve Lomas seemed intent not to rile the Parkhead side any further ahead of their arrival in Perth.
"Getting a result would be a bit like a bonus, in a way," said the St Johnstone manager. "But we want to go out and compete against them, and we have done in all but probably one game when they gave us an absolute doing in the cup. That was a bit of a backlash after Kilmarnock had just beaten them at home [in the league] so it wasn't really a great time to play them.
"Celtic can give anybody a doing; they have done it to us this season, they have done it to Dundee United and they will do it to others. That is just the calibre of the squad that they have got."
It seemed necessary to be blunt about his side's prospects this evening given that Celtic left little room for contention on Saturday. That result against United would not have looked any better from Dingwall, either – where St Johnstone lost narrowly at the weekend – even if Lomas could see injustice in the misfortune of his own side.
Playing down the chances of gaining some sense of redress by taking something against Celtic was also at odds with his competitive sensibilities and he was careful not to seem resigned to another going over by the Parkhead side.
"We want to go out and compete. If you don't have that in your make- up then you might as well not go out and play," he said. "Listen, to beat Celtic we are going to have to be at our best. There is no 'fear' about playing them – there is just a realisation that we have got to do well, both individually and collectively, to get anything. You don't play badly against Celtic and get anything; it's as simple as that there."


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Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on adoption.
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text: An overnight read by Shana Drehs at Sourcebooks led to a swift pre-empt, and a six figure deal, for world English rights to a novel by Dianne Dixon. Alice Tasman at Jean Naggar Literary Agency closed the deal, which is for two books. The publisher says that The Book of Someday, the first book scheduled for publication in fall 2013, is in the tradition of Kristin Hannah and Jodi Picoult, and "delivers a vivid and haunting story of three women whose lives are intrinsically connected and irrevocably changed by the devastating events of one summer, and by the secrets exposed about the unexpected ways in which we choose to protect – and betray – the people we love." Dixon (The Language of Secrets; Doubleday, Anchor 2010) is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter living in California.


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Helloween is a power/heavy/speed metal band from Germany founded in 1983 by members of Iron Fist and Powerfool. Helloween are known as major innovators of power metal. Members today are Andi Deris...
Latest Helloween songs from the albums 7 Sinners, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1, Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2, Unarmed: Best of 25th Anniversary are listed. May the music be with you :)
Here u can listen online or download the latest helloween mp3s. You can also add helloween songs to your playlist at Mp3Bear.net. Here is the place to discover hourly updated mp3 charts, share and create playlists within artists and music fans!
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HS50 - Can Clog Your Arteries
Wally's Drive-In has been around since the 1950's. First time I've been there. We stopped for a burger before going to the football game at the high school. It was very, very good. And the HS50 did an nice job of getting close-ups of the burger, a charbroiled double burger with 3 slices of cheese.
Currently shooting:
Canon EOS-M with 18-55mm Zoom, 22mm prime, 11-22mm WA lens, Canon 50mm EF F1.4 and Canon 50mm EF F1.8 with Canon adaptor.
Fujifilm E550
Fujifilm F900exr,
Fujifilm HS50exr
Olympus PEN E-PL1 with Kit zoom lens, Olympus M.Zuiko
17mm F2.8, Olympus M.Zuiko 40-150mm, Olympus 45mm F1.8, Canon FD 50mm F1.4, Olympus Zuiko 50mm F1.8, Pentax 135mm F2.5, Panasonic 20mm F1.7, Panasonic 14mm F2.5.
Panasonic DMC-GH2 with the kit lens, Panasonic 45-200, Panasonic 14-140mm, Panasonic X 14-42mm, and all of the lenses that I have for my Olympus PEN E-PL1
Panasonic HC-V700 camcorder
Sony DSC-RX100
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Dear Friends and Colleagues
For the first time in 47 years, the Cornea Society is bringing its World Cornea Congress meeting to an international venue, SINGAPORE, to be held from July 8-9, 2020. Together with international cornea society ASIA Cornea Society and the international cataract and refractive society Asia Pacific Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons, we are planning a first of its kind dynamic, interactive and outstanding scientific program with invited speakers from around the globe, free paper sessions, ePosters and a dedicated exhibit hall.
Join us at World Cornea Congress VIII July 8-9, 2020 Singapore where the world of cornea meets and enjoy all the wonders the host city of Singapore has to offer.
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Just A Little More On That Bruce Smith IssuePosted by on February 4, 2009 – 4:39 pm
A few days ago, I asked if people considered new Hall of Famer Bruce Smith a Redskin.
Unsurprisingly, most people said no. (Equally unsurprisingly, the folks at Mister Irrelevant said no with entertaining verve.) Heck, I pretty much said no myself even as I was asking the question, although I tossed out a few half-baked stats to offer the counter-argument.
But ESPN 980 host Steve Czaban posted some more statistics (courtesy of John Thompson Show producer Chuck Sapienza) that actually muddy the water a bit further. I mean, they still don't fully change my impression of Smith's tenure here, but they do offer a few interesting points of comparison.
Bruce Smith started 54 games for the Redskins
Doug Williams started 14
Timmy Smith started 8
Rick "Doc" Walker started 53
Bruce Smith had 29 sacks in 4 years
Lavar Arrington had 23 sacks for his Redskins career
It is genuinely unbelievable to me that Doug Williams logged FORTY fewer games as a Redskin than Bruce Smith. I guess it just goes to show you that leading your team in the greatest quarter of football in human history on the biggest stage your sport has to offer makes a lot more of an impression than 40 more games in late-career pursuit of the sack record. Read more »
Tags: Bruce Smith, BruceSmith, Doug Williams, DougWilliams, Offseason
Posted in General | No Comments »
An Interesting Possibility Signs A Futures ContractPosted by on February 4, 2009 – 10:42 am
So the Redskins announced today that they've signed two guys to reserve/futures contracts — that is, 2009 contracts for players who were not under 2008 contract to any other team — and both are at positions that have been the subject of much offseason (and in-season) speculation:
- Dave Rayner, K
- Dominique Dorsey, RB/KR
Rayner is an experienced kicker, although a bit of a journeyman. He's seen action with four teams, including the full 2006 season with Green Bay, but that seems to be the way things go for kickers until they find their spot. Coach Zorn mentioned this phenomenon in a press conference back in December:
There's kind of a group of punters and a group of kickers and they all rotate until they find a home, and what the do when they find a home, you know what they do? They get coached and they find their rhythm.
So we'll see what shakes out, and maybe find out how Suisham acquits himself with competition in camp.
But the more intriguing name is Dorsey's. He's is a former UNLV running back — his 1,000 yard 2004 season is the most recent one they've had — who received the 2008 John Agro Special Teams Award. That award, as I think we all know, is given to the most outstanding CFL special teams player by a vote of his peers, so … pretty prestigious honor.
Dorsey, a classic too-short-for-the-NFL case at 5-7, still trains in Las Vegas in the offseason (and also did some offseason work at the FedEx loading docks there, where he earned more accolades: Employee of the Day, per a profile in the Las Vegas Sun).
Now, I can hear you already: hey, that's Canada. Don't they have a wider field than we do? And weird rules? Do they really eat french fries with cheese curds and gravy? And don't they pronounce the letter O weirdly? So how much can the Candian special teams award really imply?
And those are all great questions. The answers to the first four are simple: yes, yes, yes, and yes. For the fifth, though — the one about what the John Agro Award implies — for that, let's go to the videotape.
Here's Dorsey returning a missed field goal 129 yards.
It's a longshot, obviously. In most cases like this, there's a reason that a guy hasn't made it in the NFL just yet. But in an offseason where plenty of people have commented that the Redskins could use someone like Darren Sproles, the 5-6 KR/RB in San Diego, well … maybe Dorsey could fit that mold, but without the price tag that Sproles's playoff performance will command. Worth keeping an eye on, anyhow. And isn't it nice to have some specific players to speculate about beyond Albert Haynesworth and Jordan Gross?
Tags: dominique dorsey, DominiqueDorsey, future contracts, FutureContracts, isaiah ross, IsaiahRoss, OffseasonSpeculation
Posted in General | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 4: Clinton Portis, Quote MachinePosted by on February 4, 2009 – 9:05 am
Well, Clinton Portis is on the ground in Hawai'i, and the amusing quotes are already winging their way back to the mainland.
For example, from an AP article on ESPN.com about how the players don't want the Pro Bowl to leave Hawai'i:
Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis, another University of Miami standout, said there's no question where the players would rather end the year.
"This place is much better. You can go to Miami all the time," he said.
And, later in the same article:
Portis said in Miami, "there's too much to get into," especially with places like South Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
"There's going to be people getting DUIs, people getting suspended, so I think coming out here is much nicer," he said. "[Being in Miami], I don't think it will have the same feel. They don't have any leis in Miami. They don't have flower shorts to walk around in."
I suspect that the four cast members from ABC's Lost who have been arrested for DUIs in Hawai'i would take issue with Clinton's specific points, but whatever.
Then there's … well, remember yesterday, when I said that things were quiet here without Colt Brennan? Well, according to an article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin, he's keeping things plenty lively in the islands … by taking Portis diving. With sharks. That's right: Clinton Portis, Shark Diver.
Here are some of Portis's gems on the subject: Read more »
Tags: Clinton Portis, ClintonPortis, Colt Brennan, ColtBrennan, Offseason, Pro Bowl, ProBowl
Posted in General | No Comments »


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Flood-It! 2 Level 6 Tips and Strategies
Flood-It! 2
By: LabPixies
Genre: Board
Video Tips
This video walkthrough demonstrates how to beat Level 6 without any power ups. Uploaded on Oliver Iacono official channel at March 27, 2014.
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I will update this post with more tips and tricks, so please bookmark this page and keep on checking in!
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