Dr. Leslie Hendeles began prodding the Food and Drug Administration to reject a decongestant in cold medicines when he had a mop of curly red hair and Bill Clinton had just become president. By the time opposition to the drug had coalesced, Dr. Hendeles was appearing, at age 80, as an expert to testify before … Read more
There are plenty of podcasts about cons of all kinds: “Scam Goddess,” “Chameleon,” “Swindled,” “Oh My Fraud.” What sets “The Dream” apart is a particular mix of cynicism, compassion and genuine curiosity, most of it articulated in Marie’s crabby voice. “I’m like a petulant teen,” she said. “I’ve always been like that.” Ira Glass, who … Read more
When Sara Blakely, founder of the shapewear brand Spanx, was a child, her father would pose an unusual question to her and her brother over dinner: How did you fail this week? “He encouraged us to fail, and not to be afraid of it,” she told me. “If we didn’t have something to tell him … Read more