Streaming Vs. Cable

Video streaming has surpassed cable TV as America’s favorite delivery system for movies and television shows. It took the lead last July, thanks partly to the runaway popularity of Netflix’s fourth season of Stranger Things, which viewers worldwide watched for 1.35 billion hours in the first 28 days after its release. The show contributed significantly … Continued

Billionaire Bunkers

Do the ultra-rich know something we don’t? Why are they bracing for the apocalypse?  The super affluent are prepping for doomsday, but they’re not about to settle for the spartan fallout shelters of the mid-20th century. Instead, members of today’s 1% opt for luxury bunkers with plenty of amenities. Companies catering to the market for … Continued

The Myth of Drug Expiration Dates

There’s not necessarily anything scientific or magical about the dates printed on medications Those expiration dates stamped on everything from a gallon of milk to a bottle of acetaminophen don’t mean what you probably think. Food doesn’t suddenly become unsafe and medicine doesn’t magically lose its potency at noon on a certain preordained day. But … Continued

Off-label, But Lucrative

Big pharma profits when doctors prescribe a drug for a disorder other than the one that earned FDA approval. The practice ranges from evidence-based to highly egregious.  One in five prescriptions written in the United States is for a drug that hasn’t been approved for what’s ailing the patient. That factoid from the Agency for … Continued

Bartering For Kicks

Trading sneakers online provides the thrill of the hunt and the opportunity for profit Cave dwellers were exchanging animal hides and sharp sticks long before the invention of coins and paper money. They were pioneering the barter system—a way of trading that will always be with us. To place barter in a contemporary context, think … Continued

Trading Time

Timebank members exchange an hour of their work for an hour of someone else’s An enthusiastic gardener who hates to bake might be a perfect candidate for “timebanking,” an international movement whose members swap time and skill instead of shelling out cash for what they need. For every hour timebankers spend performing a service, they’re … Continued