Rock your business hard, get paid

In his new book, Rock Your Business, David Fishof draws valuable life lessons from the world of rock.

By Richard McGill Murphy, contributor

FORTUNE -- It took chutzpah to walk into the office of legendary New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and talk him into paying your client more than a million dollars, particularly if you were only 22 years old at the time. As a young sports agent, David Fishof MORE

Marijuana's new market

It's a new age for weed. Find out who's capitalizing on liberal new laws and where.

The nation's favorite illegal drug is (kind of, maybe, sometimes) legal: After residents of Washington State and Colorado voted in marijuana legislation more liberal than Amsterdam's, the plant has become a substance no more controlled than liquor. A booming industry is emergent; just don't expect to see owners of dispensaries dancing in the streets -- MORE

The one vehicle GM executives pray about at night

The automaker's single most important moneymaker is all-new for next year.

By Doron Levin, contributors

FORTUNE -- When General Motors executives fall to their knees to pray for the success of a single model among the scores the company sells worldwide, they are surely bowing their heads for the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup. Not only is the truck the show horse of GM's lineup, it is the automaker's single most important moneymaker.

The new 2014 MORE

The federal budget: Have we a 'spending orgy'? (Fortune, 1934)

Editor's note: Every Sunday, Fortune publishes a favorite story from our magazine archives. This week, as congressional leaders and the Obama Administration continue with fiscal cliff negotiations, we turn to a feature from December 1934 on the ballooning federal budget during the New Deal era. 

FORTUNE MORE

Antifragility: How disorder makes us stronger

In his latest book, Nassim Taleb celebrates the strengthening effects of stress and chaos.

By Scott Cendrowski, writer-reporter

FORTUNE -- How did Switzerland become the most stable country in history? Its currency, unlike ours, keeps hitting new highs post-crisis, yet Switzerland doesn't have a large central bank working behind the scenes. For that matter, it doesn't have much of a central government. In Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder, Nassim Taleb MORE

Startups compete to fight childhood obesity

Entrepreneurs are vying for the top spot in The End Childhood Obesity Innovation Challenge, which combines business acumen with healthy eating strategies for kids.

By Erika Fry

FORTUNE -- Ray Newlands calls himself "just a little guy from South Florida." Kids call him "Short Chef".  And while those descriptions are physically apt -- he's 5'5'' -- height is not what Newlands is known (or named) for: he wears shorts while he MORE

What we know about marijuana -- so far (Fortune, 1971)

Editor's note: Every Sunday, Fortune publishes a favorite story from our magazine archives. This week, we turn to a feature from March 1971 on the physical effects and potential legalization of marijuana. On December 6, Washington became the first state in the U.S. to legalize recreational use of the drug for adults over 21 years old. Colorado will follow suit in January.

After Sandy, a Seaport café fights to rebuild

Our latest in the #SaveTheSeaport series looks at how bakeshop Made Fresh Daily is adjusting to the new normal.

By Anne VanderMey

FORTUNE -- Jacqueline Goewey returned to her South Street Seaport bakeshop, Made Fresh Daily, the morning after Hurricane Sandy pummeled New York's coastline. When she arrived, she sidestepped a heavy trashcan that had toppled over on the front steps and shone her flashlight into the darkened shop. She saw MORE

Dispatch from a basement in the Rockaways

After Sandy, the long and difficult cleanup continues.

By Ryan Bradley

FORTUNE -- The day started like a bad joke and ended like poetry. How many Fortune editors and writers does it take to clean out a storm-ravaged basement in the Rockaways? The answer was nine, plus our leader, Bizzi (short for Ysabel).

The space was filled with soiled and moldy and sodden stuff. Unexpected objects had become unimaginably heavy -- waterlogged MORE

Holiday book parade

From new thrillers to New York City bike paths, our literary correspondent has book suggestions for everyone on your shopping list.

By Lawrence A. Armour, contributor

FORTUNE -- In the spirit of the season, here's a selection of literary stocking stuffers for you or the bookworm in your life. They include two terrific thrillers, a definitive short story collection, and a pair of engrossing books about biking.

Cops, hoods, and spies

Ben Affleck, MORE