Gum has been studied for its beneficial effects on memory, alertness, anxiety reduction, appetite suppression, mood and learning.

FORBES: Chew Yourself a Better Brain

The third channel through which the emerging-market disease spreads is the reduction in investors' appetite for risk following the crises in Asia and Russia.

ECONOMIST: Emerging-market measles

The drive on cost reduction, along with Mr Ellison's previously unsuspected appetite for detail and process, astounded everybody at Oracle, not least Mr Lane.

ECONOMIST: Oracle