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Pork
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Pork is the meat from hogs, or domestic swine. The domestication of "pigs" (immature hogs) for food dates back to about 7000 B.C. in the Middle East. However, evidence shows that Stone Age man ate wild boar, the hog's ancestor, and the earliest surviving pork recipe is Chinese, at least 2000-years old. While it is one of the most common meats eaten by the Chinese and Europeans, it is considered inedible under Islamic and Orthodox Jewish law.
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"Pork" and "earmarks" are similar concepts. Both generally refer to money set aside by legislators for specific projects in their home states--everything from parking lots and bicycle paths to $50 million for an indoor rainforest in Iowa. The projects are usually inserted into bills by individual members, have not been requested by the president, and skirt normal procedures for competitive bidding or expert review.
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Pork exports increased 1 percent in 1998, and are forecast to increase 1 percent in 1999. Taiwan will remain unable to return as a major exporter due to the FMD outbreak in March 1997, and subsequent cases since that date. Eastern European exports fell 30 percent in 1998, and are forecast to decline 30 percent in 1999, largely due to plummeting demand in Russia and increased competition from the European Union. The United States, Canada, and the European Union increased exports in 1998, and continued large supplies and low prices are expected to further boost their exports in 1999.
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Pork barrel politics refers to government spending that is intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for their political support, either in the form of campaign contributions or votes. The term is thought to have originated on Southern United States plantations, where slaves were allocated the unwanted remainder of slaughtered pigs, or the "pork barrel." Typically it involves funding for government programs whose economic or service benefits are concentrated in a particular area but whose costs are spread among all taxpayers. Public works projects and agricultural subsidies are the most commonly cited examples, but they do not exhaust the possibilities. Pork barrel spending is often allocated through last-minute additions to appropriation bills. A politician who supplies his or her constituents with considerable funding is said to be "bringing home the bacon."
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Pork is eaten in various forms, including cooked (as roast pork), cured or smoked (ham, including the Italian Prosciutto) or a combination of these methods (gammon, bacon or Pancetta). It is ... a common ingredient of sausages. As with beef in Hinduism, pork consumption is taboo in Islam, Judaism and Adventism.
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Pork spending might be brought under control with greater budget transparency. The name of the politician requesting each project should be listed in legislation, and spending request letters sent by members to appropriators should be made available online.
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