Counter Markets

Financial Newsletter for Free Marketeers and Libertarian Entrepreneurs

Trends & Strategies for Maximum Freedom

One Year Into “Soda Tax,” Researchers Find No Impact On Consumption

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One year into Philadelphia's 1.5-cents-per-ounce "soda tax," new findings show that the law had minimal to no influence on what Philadelphians are drinking. The results were published this month in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health from researchers at Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health. The team conducted a random phone … [Read more...] about One Year Into “Soda Tax,” Researchers Find No Impact On Consumption

New Mobile Game Revolutionizes Storytelling by Challenging Authority

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By John Vibes Mobile devices have become one of the most popular ways to play games in recent years because of how accessible they are to so many people. Lots of mobile content has very fun gameplay, along with good design and graphics, but thought-provoking stories can be hard to come by. Over the past year, I have been working with a team of writers and developers to … [Read more...] about New Mobile Game Revolutionizes Storytelling by Challenging Authority

This Kentucky Family Built Their Own Tiny-Home Village, Giving Each Child Their Own House

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By Mayukh Saha Ryan Brinks and Keli have made a tiny-home village consisting of 6 tiny homes. They wanted to live in a sustainable way and so decided to join the tiny-house movement. Earlier, they used to live in a big 2,000 sq. foot house in Michigan. But in 2015, they decided to move into tiny houses with their children - Brody and Lennox. Tiny houses are more … [Read more...] about This Kentucky Family Built Their Own Tiny-Home Village, Giving Each Child Their Own House

Uber Linked to a Reduction in Serious Road Traffic Injuries in the UK

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Since its launch in San Francisco in 2010, Uber has experienced phenomenal growth, reaching six continents, more than 70 countries, and 700 cities through 2018. Whilst it took Uber roughly six years to reach the 1 billion ride milestone (March 2016), it took just two and a half more years (September 2018) to reach 10 billion total rides. Professor David Kirk from the … [Read more...] about Uber Linked to a Reduction in Serious Road Traffic Injuries in the UK

Why I Chose To Un-School My Son

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By Nikki Gray Now more than ever before our society is seeing the need to take matters into our own hands and not rely on others to get the job done for us. The topic of un-schooling has become quite popular and with good reason. According to Wikipedia: Unschooling is an educational method and philosophy that advocates learner-chosen activities as a primary means for … [Read more...] about Why I Chose To Un-School My Son

Why Governments Hate Secession

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By Ryan McMaken When the Soviet Union began its collapse in 1989, the world witnessed decentralization and secession on a scale not seen in Europe since the nineteenth century. Over the next several years, puppet regimes and states-in-name-only broke away from Soviet domination and formed sovereign states. Some states which had completely ceased to exist—such as the … [Read more...] about Why Governments Hate Secession

Cryptocurrency Is Agorism in Action

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By Wendy McElroy The book New Libertarian Manifesto (NLM) by libertarian-anarchist Samuel E. Konkin III (SEK3) launched a movement that has grown amazingly over the last few decades: Agorism. This is the movement of peaceful revolution through counter-economics. Counter-economics is “the study or practice of all peaceful human action which is forbidden by the State.” … [Read more...] about Cryptocurrency Is Agorism in Action

Three Reasons Why Decentralization and Secession Lead to More Open Economies

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By Ryan McMaken When we hear of political movements in favor of decentralization and secession, the word "nationalist" is often used to describe them. We have seen the word used in both Scottish and Catalonian secession movement, and in the case of Brexit. Sometimes the term is intended to be pejorative. But not always. When used pejoratively — as was the case with … [Read more...] about Three Reasons Why Decentralization and Secession Lead to More Open Economies

Why the Movie Industry Is Fleeing California

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By Jen Maffessanti Ah, Hollywood. The Mecca of filmmaking. Thousands of would-be actors, screenwriters, and directors flock to Los Angeles, California to fulfill their dreams of becoming a star because, after all, that’s where movie-making happens. Everyone knows this. And for close to a century, it was true. But today, Hollywood—the way we generally think of it—is … [Read more...] about Why the Movie Industry Is Fleeing California

This Entrepreneur Is Suing for the Right to Transport Hospital Patients Across State Lines

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By Mollie Williams Most people would pay little attention to an ambulance with a “For Sale” sign sitting on the side of the road. But when Phillip Truesdell spotted the ambulance, he saw a business opportunity. Over the past two years and with the help of his family, Truesdell has taken that ambulance and built a business, Legacy Medical Transport. Legacy is a … [Read more...] about This Entrepreneur Is Suing for the Right to Transport Hospital Patients Across State Lines

Yale Study: Vast Majority of High Schoolers Unhappy at School

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By Kerry McDonald Most high school students are not happy at school. A new study by Yale researchers finds that nearly three-quarters of high schoolers report negative feelings toward school. The study surveyed more than 20,000 high school students in all 50 US states and found widespread dissatisfaction at school across all demographic groups, with girls reporting slightly … [Read more...] about Yale Study: Vast Majority of High Schoolers Unhappy at School