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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
How gum works
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
The average American munches more than a pound of gum every year. So let's imagine for a moment that you are chewing a piece right now. You can chew and chew and chew and it never disappears. Have you ever wondered what it actually is that you are chewing? What is it that we put in our mouths when we chew a stick of gum?
The original chewing gum is a natural product. It is made from a rubbery compound called chicle that comes from the sapodilla tree. If you are an adventurous sort of person, you could fly down to Guatemala or Mexico, hike into the rainforest, find a sapodilla tree and cut into the bark. A rubbery sap would ooze out, and this is the base for natural chewing gum. In the same way that you could chew on a rubber band all day long without it disappearing, you can chew on chicle all day long. Chicle is a natural rubber.
In the late 1800s, people discovered that you can flavor chicle. You take a chunk of chicle, heat it up a bit to melt it, and then start mixing sugar and flavors into it. Peppermint extract is one common flavor. You can actually buy kits today that contain a bar of chicle rubber, a bag of powdered sugar and some flavoring. You heat up the chicle in the microwave oven and knead the sugar and flavor in to make your own gum. The whole process takes about half an hour.
A typical piece of chewing gum is more than half sugar. This is easy to prove if you have a scale that can measure grams. You take a piece of gum and weigh it. Then you chew it for 5 or 10 minutes until all the sweetness is gone. If you dry it off and weigh it again, the piece of gum will weigh half as much (or less) as it did to begin with. What is left is the rubbery gum base. Most people think this is totally gross, but you could actually save old gum and re-flavor it if you wanted to. It's totally re-usable. Like rubber bands or rubber tires, chicle lasts a long time.
If you think about chicle, though, it is a pretty interesting type of rubber. What makes it so interesting, and what makes it perfect for chewing, is that it is very temperature-sensitive. If you freeze chicle with ice, it gets hard. At room temperature it is still stiff - you can break it. At body heat it is soft and very stretchy. In boiling water it gets syrupy. It is one of those happy accidents that chicle is the perfect consistency for chewing at the natural body temperature of human beings.
This rubber has been used in lots of different ways. Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum got its start in 1893. Dentyne gum appeared in 1899. The name is a combination of "Dental" and "hygiene". The idea was to create a cinnamony gum to keep your breath fresh and your teeth clean. This, of course, predated the idea that sugar rots your teeth. Then in 1928 the big break came - bubble gum, invented by a man named Walter Deimer and sold as Double Bubble gum.
The only problem with chicle is that there isn't enough of it to go around. There aren't nearly enough sapodilla trees to supply the world with gum base. So, starting around World War II, science stepped in to solve the problem. Today just about every piece of chewing gum on the market contains an artificial gum base instead of chicle. The gum base is just like any other plastic or synthetic rubber in use today. It starts with some sort of petroleum product that gets modified through a series of chemical reactions. The goal is to create a tasteless, artificial rubber that has the same kind of temperature profile and consistency as natural chicle.
So why do people like gum so much? We've been chewing it for more than 100 years and Americans spend something like $2 billion a year buying gum. What is it about this stuff that is so appealing? It turns out that moving our jaws up and down actually makes people feel better. Since WWI the army has been giving gum to soldiers because it seems to ease stress. Truck drivers find that chewing gum can help them stay awake and be more alert. Studies in the last few years have shown that chewing gum may help memory recall. Before your next big test or assignment, you might want to pop a stick of gum in your mouth just in case!
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Previously:
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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