Word: gum
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...person one. But sensitivity is not unwarranted. Among etymologists, a slur's validity hangs heavily on history. The concept of tar baby goes way back, according to Words@Random from Random House: "The tar baby is a form of a character widespread in African folklore. In various folktales, gum, wax or other sticky material is used to trap a person." The term itself was popularized by the 19th-century Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris, in which the character Br'er Fox makes a doll out of tar to ensnare his nemesis Br'er Rabbit. The Oxford American Dictionary...
...idea that buttoned-up Singapore, better known for punitive caning and a onetime ban on chewing gum, should emerge as a center of enlightenment seems unlikely. But the government sees both scientific and fiscal promise in the biomed field. This month, Singapore announced a doubling of its R&D budget, to $8.2 billion over the next five years, making it a regional research hub, particularly in stem cells. That's attractive to frustrated American scientists--and worrisome to people who want to see the U.S. retain its scientific edge...
Enter Cubicle 2.0. At Herman Miller, it's called My Studio and is aesthetically reminiscent of the iPod. Framed by brushed steel and clear plastic, the pods are separated by low partitions that slide open for passing paper clips and gum. An occupant of a 6-ft. by 8-ft. cube could invite two colleagues to perch on the horseshoe-shaped desk. Storage seems sufficient: files tuck underfoot, cables hide behind a panel--there's even a closet. And here's the kicker: it has a sliding, shoji-like door. "Privacy is key to a worker's sense of territory...
...energy in the Administration, from the President on down. Governments habitually overestimate what they can achieve and underestimate how much of their working day they have to spend on the really tricky issue at hand. Bush's aides say he and they can multitask--"We can walk and chew gum at the same time," says one--but the ceaseless need to make a bad situation passable is a drag on the entire enterprise. "If Iraq gets better, everything gets better," a White House official says. "If Iraq doesn't get better, there's no hope...
Nicotine patches and Nicorette gum may be a thing of the past—smokers may soon be able to kick their habit with a simple shot. Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced last Tuesday that it will be one of ten sites across the nation to research the effects of NicVax, a vaccine that may help addicts quit smoking. The MGH study is the only one being conducted in the Northeast. Like other vaccines, NicVax is composed of a protein molecule. What makes this vaccine unique, according to University Health Services (UHS) Chief of Medicine Soheyla D. Gharib, is that...