Word: vitality
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Free trade is vital to the world order, old and new. It is based on the venerable principle of laissez-faire: when people are buying and selling, governments should stay out of the way. Since the early 17th century, nations have been conducting commerce on the theory that lower tariffs mean lower prices for consumers, higher profits for merchants and greater prosperity for all. Countries that are busily shipping goods across their borders may be less likely to dispatch armies. And opening markets to imports is a way of opening societies to ideas...
...sudden power failure struck New York State's Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station like a sucker punch last week, knocking out vital instruments and warning lights. When backup power systems also failed, operators were unable to monitor the reactor core for 20 chilling minutes. "It was like losing your speedometer, dashboard lights and headlights when you're going down the road at 70," said Peter Slocum, a spokesman for the State Disaster Preparedness Commission. Plant officials declared a "site area emergency," the second highest level of alert under federal regulations. It was only the third time such an emergency...
...example, basic studies of bacterial resistance to viruses led to the discovery of restriction enzymes, the biological scissors that can snip DNA segments at precisely defined locations. That discovery in turn made possible recombinant- DNA technology, which spawned the multibillion-dollar biotechnology industry. And the laser, now the vital component of devices ranging from printers to compact disc players to surgical instruments, was a serendipitous by-product of research on molecular structure...
...wife team of Marc and Kiki Ellenby are the only commercial producer of fresh litchi nuts in the U.S. "We're just beginning to use Florida's natural resources for cooking," says Susser. "The fun is that we're breaking new ground." The Caribbean, especially Cuban, influence is vital. Susser picks up recipes from his Haitian and Cuban kitchen help. A Haitian suggested poaching boniato, a white sweet potato, in milk before mashing it into a Cream of Wheat consistency that goes beautifully with grilled wahoo...
...years in the Army and Army Reserve, Captain Dusty Pruitt, an ordained minister, taught soldiers to defend themselves against chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Her expertise could have been vital in the war against Saddam Hussein. But during Operation Desert Storm, Pruitt was neither protecting nor ministering to soldiers in the Persian Gulf. Her battleground was the Ninth Circuit Court in California, where she was busy fighting to overturn the Army's 1986 decision to discharge her because she is a lesbian. "It's sad," she says, "that the military wastes time bothering people about what they do in their...