The defenders are also doing things differently: creating antidotes to the would-be poisons, buying back time with fresh ideas, even new shots.
So FreshDirect allows me to, in effect, buy back personal time.
"They may be great ideas," said Ms. Silverman, P.S. 229's principal, "but so many kids this year lost services and you can't buy back that time.
Access to the capital people need to invest in a water and/or sanitation solution allows families to buy back their time and live healthier and more productive lives.
"The settlement doesn't buy back the time I lost and doesn't do real justice, but the amount shows the public something is very wrong here," said Mr. Su, now 35 and a financial consultant in Manhattan.
Today, there's little doubt that people place enormous value on the ability to buy back their time and attention, the key currency of the 21st century.
Poor families are much more constrained in their economic ability to "buy back" lost time through the market.
The company, based in Provo, Utah, has about 353 million shares outstanding; it will buy back stock from time to time in the open market.
The Maui Land and Pineapple Company, whose biggest shareholder is Stephen M. Case, a founder of America Online, spent $18,651 last year to buy back unused vacation time from Brian C. Nishida, an executive vice president.
Beware, however, that you cannot buy back entitlement lost through time contracted out.
