New York lawmakers in Washington who have been persistently pressing the White House for increased funding for healthcare programs for ailing 9/11 World Trade Center workers were jolted last week when President George W. Bush's proposed budget slashed those programs by 77 percent.Scumbag.

Social services in KY to be cut by $60 million - mental health centers, programs for the elderly, and infants. Untreated people will be flocking to understaffed ERs. Recipe for disaster.

The 10 Non-Nintendo characters that shoulda made the cut. IGN Stars' Smash Bros. Wish-List centers on non-Nintendo characters, and our picks are based on a variety of factors, including: Popularity, likelihood, skill-set and overall geek-out desire to see some of our favorite console characters get their shot at a Final Smash.

Eating red fruits and vegetables may help reduce inflammation which cuts the risk of heart attack, a doctor says. Dr. Steven Bolling, a cardiac surgeon at the U of Mich. Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor, says scientists have discovered pigments in foods such as tart cherries and tomatoes may help reduce inflammation associate with atherosclerosis

University of Houston is closing the CLASS Career Center, the campus resource for the students of College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences seeking guidance toward meeting their goals. CLASS also happens to be the largest college, hosting the most students of all the colleges, at the University. Their reasoning? Demand was too high.

A pork chop is a chop of pork.The center cut or pork loin chop includes a large T shaped bone, and is structurally similar to the beef t-bone steak. Rib chops come from the rib portion of the loin, and are similar to rib eye steaks. Blade or shoulder chops are cut from the shoulder end of the loin, and tend to contain large amounts of connective tissue. The sirloin chop is taken from the (rear) leg end and also contains a large amount of connective tissue.The so-called "Iowa Chop" is a thick center cut. The term was coined in 1976 by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. PreparationThe center cut and rib chops are suited to hot dry cooking methods such as grilling. Because of their collagen content, the blade and sirloin chops are better served by slower methods like braising.Like other pork products, the pork chop has been affected by changing dietary trends. In an effort to reinvent pork as "the other white meat", the pork industry began breeding leaner pigs. The lower fat content of modern pigs combined with pork's already dry texture means that it can be difficult for a chef to cook a pork chop fully without it becoming dry and tasteless. Brining can be used to help pork chops retain their moisture through the cooking process.Older cooking references may cite a need to cook all pork, including chops, to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) or even 170°F (76°) in order to eliminate the threat of trichinosis. This relatively high temperature has the unfortunate side effect of exacerbating pork's dryness problem. However, current US FDA regulations for the preparation of pork state that a minimum internal temperature of 144°F (62.2°C) is sufficient to ensure the destruction of the parasite. This temperature is below pork's temperature for medium doneness, typically around 150°F (65°C). Note that the meat near the bone in bone-in cuts will generally be several degrees lower than the rest of the chop. ReferencesThe Cook's Thesaurus - Pork Loin CutsArt Culinaire - Back to basics - recipes for porkGood Eats - "Chops Ahoy" (unofficial transcript)US FDA regulations - Title 9 - Chapter 3 - Part 318 - includes 318.10, "Prescribed treatment of pork and products containing pork to destroy trichinae." (revised January 1, 2003)Iowa Chop still an Iowa favorite