Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime for a CEO?

Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime for a CEO?

Wall Street buccaneer Carl Icahn has pocketed billions for his himself over the years. But now he says he’s passionate about helping others. In particular, the corporate-takeover specialist is pushing a charitable cause for people who, through no fault of their...
Gouging the Sick

Gouging the Sick

Words can be discombobulating, especially when people twist them to fit concepts that mean the exact opposite of what you think is being said. Consider the current debate in Washington over the Trans-Pacific Partnership — a controversial trade and investment pact...
The Real Drug Racket

The Real Drug Racket

Al Capone, the infamous mob boss and bootlegger in Chicagoland during the 1920s, always maintained that he was just a businessman. The only difference between him and others, he insisted, was that the law criminalized his business while legalizing the criminality of...
Breeding Superbugs

Breeding Superbugs

Can antibiotic medicines, long hailed as miracle drugs, be too much of a good thing? Yes. Two factors are at work here. First, bacteria (one of the earliest forms of life on Earth) are miracles in their own right, with a stunning ability to outsmart the antibiotic...
The Medical-Industrial Complex

The Medical-Industrial Complex

Getting well Takes lots of pluck, With health guys out To make a buck. As the Obama administration struggles to keep rolling out its landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act amid partisan squabbling, the shortcomings of American health care are more evident...