Warren Buffett has been in the news quite a bit this week. Yesterday Buffett announced that he was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. His prognosis, according to his doctor, "is great." That's certainly good news.

A couple of days ago, Senate Republicans blocked President Obama's "Buffett Rule" which proposes a minimum tax rate for millionaires. The measure received majority support, 51-45, but 60 votes were required for the legislation to advance. Obama issued a statement after the vote vowing to press Congress to help the middle class.

The Buffett Rule has been talked about for several months. Alex wrote a smart piece about taxes and Warren Buffett in July 2011. In fact, Alex implored Buffett to write an open letter to congress to fight for fairer taxation. One month later, Buffett wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times denouncing our country's befuddled tax structure.

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John Bielenberg, COMMON co-founder, and Gino Bona, FearLess editor, will deliver keynote speeches at The Juice Conference 3.0 in Camden, Maine on November 5.

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You have to hand it to Bank of America.  That is one brazen bank.  They're the largest bank in the United States measured by deposits.  They took $45 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program to fight off the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008.  And now they're straight-up giving the bird to their debit card customers.

Beginning next year, every Bank of America customer who has a bank-issued debit card--all 38.7 million of 'em--will face a $5 monthly fee by simply using their debit cards as, um, debit cards.

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That sound you heard over the weekend wasn't NASA's six-ton satellite falling to earth.  It was the economy cratering across the world.

Don't be fooled by a couple of good days on Wall Street.  You need to dig underneath the surface of green and red arrows.  Just pick a region of the world and look at its books.  What you'll find will make every impartial MBA text SOS.

Europe is battling a massive debt crisis.  How bad is it?  It's so bad that U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner warned that Europe represents "the most serious risk now confronting the world economy."  Ireland, Portugal and Greece have received bailouts from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.  Many would argue that Spain and Italy need bailouts, too.  Greece is the cause for most concern in Europe.  There's a very real chance of a Greek default.  Needless to say, a default by Greece will inflict significant damage through the banking system and the global economy. 

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Last year, a Kansas State University professor of human nutrition named Mark Haub spent 10 weeks on a "convenience store diet."  This entailed Haub eating Twinkies, Nutty Buddy bars, and powdered donuts instead of meals.  To break up the monotony, Haub worked in some Doritos, Oreos, and sugary cereals.

The result?  He lost 27 pounds.  And a little perspective on how to conduct a sound experiment.

That's because Haub limited himself to 1,800 calories per day.  A man of Haub's pre-dieting size usually consumes 2,600 calories per day.  So he spent his days crushing processed mystery foods while adhering to the basic principle of weight loss: consume less calories than you burn.

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I recently spent four days on a mini-vacation at a lake house in South Carolina.  Since my restless mind isn't a proponent of completely shutting down and allowing me to relax unconditionally, I spent a considerable amount of time pondering how remarkably interconnected our society has become.

There's Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ to interact and shepherd our friends, connections, and circles.  We have Twitter to entertain and impress followers with our deepest mirco-thoughts.  We have approximately a gazillion blogs where people can self-publish articles and receive comments from anonymous readers.

There are many positive outcomes that result from these online forums.  We regain contact with former classmates, share photos of our children with out-of-town family members, and broadcast information that leads to real, tangible change.

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One month from tonight, the Boulder Theater will host COMMON Pitch. The event will feature ambitious people pitching their big ideas aimed at making our planet a more awesome place. The best ideas will receive prizes, immeasurable glory, and possible funding. And each presenter has only five minutes to deliver their pitch.

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Banks have a long-held tradition of frustrating their customers by charging hidden fees conveniently buried in 4-point font on the back page of a disclosure statement.  It's one of their key revenue streams.  And it's maddening to their customers.

Today, banks are scrambling to generate profits while navigating new government regulations that obstruct their traditional revenue streams.  But it appears they're on the verge of reeling in a big fish.  One that is forecasted to drive $1.7 billion in annual revenue by 2015.

That's because banks are selling your shopping data to merchants.

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Well, it's official: I'm out of touch with mainstream America.  My palate is too refined.  My style is too exotic.  In all likelihood, I'm an elitist.

That's because I know what an avocado is.

Subway, America's fast-food sandwich behemoth, recently introduced avocado paste to their assembly line of toppings.  They also launched a national advertising campaign that not only introduces their new spread, but actually introduces an avocado.

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Dear Humira:

My name is Gino Bona.  You don't know me, but you've played a prominent role in my life over the past five years.  That's why I'm writing to you.

My wife, Stephanie, was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis twelve years ago (I wrote all about it on FearLess).  The autoimmune disease caused joint inflammation, tendonitis, swelling, and her nails to pit.  My then-26-year-old wife suddenly felt like she was living in a 76-year-old woman's body.

After languishing several years on Vioxx and Plaquenil, Stephanie's rheumatologist prescribed her Humira in 2006.  That's how you and Stephanie met.

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