Pork barrel

Pork barrel is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district. The usage originated in American English. In election campaigns, the term is used in derogatory fashion to attack opponents. However, scholars use it as a technical term regarding legislative control of local appropriations.

History

The term pork barrel politics usually refers to spending which is intended to benefit constituents of a politician in return for their political support, either in the form of campaign contributions or votes. In the popular 1863 story "The Children of the Public", Edward Everett Hale used the term pork barrel as a homely metaphor for any form of public spending to the citizenry. However, after the American Civil War, the term came to be used in a derogatory sense. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the modern sense of the term from 1873. By the 1870s, references to "pork" were common in Congress, and the term was further popularized by a 1919 article by Chester Collins Maxey in the National Municipal Review, which reported on certain legislative acts known to members of Congress as "pork barrel bills". He claimed that the phrase originated in a pre-Civil War practice of giving slaves a barrel of salt pork as a reward and requiring them to compete among themselves to get their share of the handout. More generally, a barrel of salt pork was a common larder item in 19th century households, and could be used as a measure of the family's financial well-being. For example, in his 1845 novel The Chainbearer, James Fenimore Cooper wrote: "I hold a family to be in a desperate way, when the mother can see the bottom of the pork barrel."

Pork (band)

Pork is an Argentine post-grunge band founded in 2002 by the Bar Rabia twins. The band members are the Bar Rabia twins (Czar and Gaston), Nino Conde and the recent new member Max Mateo.

History

In August 2006, Pork supported American band Fear Factory at the Pepsi Stadium in Buenos Aires, drawing the attention of Alejandro Taranto, an executive producer for bands such as A.N.I.M.A.L. and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. He later had Pork signed onto TommyGun Entertainment and Universal Music Argentina to record their debut album.

The recording sessions took place between April and June 2007 at "Del Cielito Studio", which is now owned by local band Bersuit Vergarabat. The post-production and mastering was done by Eduardo Bergallo. The album, titled "Multiple Choice", was released in May 2008. The song "Akira" was the first single, and a video involving an anime character and the band can be seen on MTV and Much Music.

In July 2008, Pork played at the Adolescent Fest sponsored by MTV. In October 2008, Pork was selected to support American band Nine Inch Nails, playing right before the main act.

Réunion

Réunion (French: La Réunion, IPA: [la ʁeynjɔ̃]; previously Île Bourbon) is an insular region of France located in the Indian Ocean. It is situated east of Madagascar and about 175 kilometres (109 mi) southwest of Mauritius, the nearest island. As of 2014, its population numbered 844,994 inhabitants.

The island has been inhabited since the 17th century, when people from Europe (mostly France), Madagascar and Africa settled there. Slavery was abolished on 20 December 1848 (a date celebrated yearly on the island), after which indentured workers were brought from South India, among other places. The island became an overseas department of France in 1946.

The local language, spoken by the majority of the population, is Réunion Creole. The official language is French.

Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other four overseas departments, it is also one of the 18 regions of France, with the modified status of overseas regions, and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland. Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, a part of the Eurozone.

Reunion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

"Reunion" is the 81st episode of the syndicated American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, It is the seventh episode of the fourth season.

In the episode, K'Ehleyr returns to the Enterprise to advise Captain Picard, who is chosen to arbitrate the selection of the new Klingon leader from two candidates, Gowron and Duras, one of whom is suspected to be a traitor.

Plot

The starship Enterprise is met by a Klingon Vor'cha class battlecruiser, and Ambassador K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson) requests to speak to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) on an "urgent matter". When she beams aboard, she brings a young Klingon boy (Jon Paul Steuer); based on his previous romantic experience with K'Ehleyr, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) suspects the child is his son. K'Ehleyr warns the senior staff of a power struggle occurring within the Klingon Empire and implores Picard to meet Chancellor K'mpec (Charles Cooper) aboard the battlecruiser. On the Klingon ship, K'mpec acknowledges that he has been poisoned and is slowly dying, and insists that Picard become the Arbiter of Succession and identify his assassin. K'mpec dies shortly afterward. In a private moment, K'Ehleyr confirms to Worf that the Klingon boy is his son, Alexander, and she did not tell Worf for fear he would try to have a deeper relationship with her; Worf, already burdened by his discommendation, fears for Alexander's future, given the stigma of his family name.

Reunion (video game)

Reunion, also known as Merit's Galactic Reunion, is a space strategy video game. It was the Hungarian game developer company Amnesty Design's (now Digital Reality) first game. The game was programmed by János Kistamás, Krisztián Jámbor, and Attila Lendvai (Amiga), István Kiss (DOS). The soundtrack was made by Tamás Kreiner which was the basis of his reputation.

Plot

In the 27th century, centuries of peace have allowed great scientific progress in the development of the first interstellar warp drive. Two research ships, designated Explorer-1 and Explorer-2, are outfitted with the experimental drives and sent to find new planets of colonization. Only Explorer-2 returns to Earth out of the two Explorers. Refitted as a colony vessel, the Explorer-2 is once again ready to embark when, suddenly, peace is disrupted and the humans were ripped apart from each other. At this same time, a planet-wide rebellion stages a great coup and overthrows the Earthen government, throwing the world into chaos and severing the union. The Explorer-2, crewed by a loyalist space crew, barely escapes the rebellion and leaves the Solar System. Years later after the rebellion, the Explorer-2 arrives damaged at its destination and a colony is set up, naming it "New Earth". After many generations of being separated from Earth, the colony is self-sufficient enough to develop a mission only the best can tread: Explore nearby space, research new technologies, harvest resources, develop a space fleet and eventually... reconquer and reunify Earth, leading to the greatest reunion the universe has ever set its eyes on.