In early February 2012, just the day before publication of this post, industrial biotechnology developer LS9, Inc. (private) announced the hiring of a senior operations officer.  The position is responsible for LS9’s renewable fuel plant in Okeechobee, Florida and will ultimately be oversee production at future sites.  To me the announcement is a signal to finally take LS9 seriously.  I have to confess, I have not given the start up much credence.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a person in want of a good fortune must be in possession of an emergency fund. Hilarious literary allusions aside, the emergency fund — or rainy-day savings, or whatever you want to call it — is one of the bedrocks of basic personal finance.

This post is by staff writer Sarah Gilbert.

The wisdom of diverting high protein food to the production of transportation fuel has always eluded me.  Several years ago I found myself a lone voice questioning corn-based ethanol.  Even after several studies that demonstrate the inefficiencies of ethanol production in general and corn-based ethanol in particular, we are still shoveling corn into our gas tanks.

I usually find it valuable after a big expense like our recent transatlantic cruise to reflect on the value of our expenses and if there are areas where we might be able to do slightly better the next time. A couple areas have come to mind for future trip planning: