Last Thursday the Sunlight Foundation did a live blog covering the Health Care Summit in the Blair House. It was a very fun and successful event, the next few days will be some photos from that event. Enjoy!

From a New York Times’ story of our event:

There will be a plethora of ways to follow the health care meeting today and talk back live — from cable television and C-Span to live blogs and  social networking sites. But there is a new entry into the media cacophony that hopes to offer something a little different.

The Sunlight Foundation, which advocates transparency and open government, is entering the field with an online venue called Sunlight Live.

Just as the name implies, the site hopes to provide readers with information about the summit and its participants that traditional media might not focus on.

For example, according to the site’s announcement, when a member of Congress speaks, Sunlight Live will show the financial contributions that person has received as well as “their connections to lobbyists and industry, personal finances, and key votes that the leaders have made on health care in the past,” according to a foundation announcement.

Thanks to Aaron for thinking of me and connecting me with Stephanie Armour of the USA Today.  After a very friendly ten minute conversation, here’s the quote she selected for the article, published today:

The ability to work from anywhere also means snow days no longer offer a break from work. Many are like Nicko Margolies, a communications assistant at the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit.

With the federal government shut down, his office closed. Margolies worked at home.

“No snowstorm, no matter how big, will keep me from working. I lost heat, but I had my space heater and network access, so I kept on trucking. It’s actually a seamless transition from home to work,” he says. “The only difference is I’m in my pajamas.”

The full article is on USA TODAY. My quote was also picked up on Time Magazine’s ‘It’s Your Money’ blog and reposted on the Battle Creek Enquirer in Michigan. The image credits on this post go to NASA for this beautiful photograph taken by the Terra satellite (which I cropped).

In honor of the fantastic snow storm that hit the DC area over the weekend, I will be having the next week or so dedicated to the joys of snow.  I hope you enjoy it (though I have a feeling it won’t be as popular as dog week).

Two weeks ago I attended a Crisis Camp event at the Sunlight Foundation‘s offices. It was a bustling scene and a lot of projects were running at full steam. The photos I took there will be the topic of the next couple days.

A number of those images were used in conjunction with video featuring the audio of a report on American Public Media’s Marketplace program:

Yesterday’s post, about my squirrel picture on wikipedia leading to some beautiful original artwork in the Philippines, is actually not the only resurfacing of that image.

In December, I got an email from a woman in Australia (who somehow could pick out my specific squirrel picture from memory) about how she noticed it was on a local TV show. Apparently, an ABC show about zombies used my photo as part of the backstory behind the series, cleverly named ‘Zombies.’

The show is only viewable online from Australia (unfortunately, I think it has expired) and I was able to watch the first part of the episode.  According to Zombies, my furry friend was responsible for transferring the zombie brain-virus to humans in rural Kentucky, hastening the apocalypse.  Oops.

There is a surprisingly long story behind this simple coffee tumbler.  On June 25th, 2007 I took a trip down to the National Mall with my friend Sam.  I borrowed another friend’s Digital Rebel XTi and was eager to play around with it.  Fortunately, we stumbled on a perfect subject, a common grey eastern squirrel that endured close human proximity in hopes of getting some edible loot from the passing tourists.  I held my camera out at arms length and snapped as many pictures as I could.  I eventually added one of the images to wikipedia, sharing the rather comical fellow with the world.  The photo took on a life of its own (some of which I’ve touched on in a previous post).

Skip ahead to June of 2009.  Regina F. Silva, a graphic designer/illustrator in the Philippines, sends me an email asking to use the original squirrel photo as inspiration for a drawing.  Flattered and intrigued, I accept.

The shared appreciation for this entertaining creature and the tone of the Regina’s emails gave me confidence in the possibilities of this proposition.  Months later, after more friendly exchanges and a sneak peek at a draft, she launched the first item in a line of squirrel-related items.  She promised to send me the entire line of products and yesterday, I received the wonderful bounty.

I could not be more pleased with the results and I’d like to thank Miss Silva for her devotion to her beautiful designs and for letting me know about this project.  While we’re on opposite sides of the planet, it’s nice to know that there is someone else out there who wants to share humorous squirrel antics with the world.

When I excitedly opened the package from the Philippines I was touched by the note that Regina included with all the fruits of her labor (reproduced to the right).  Best of luck to you and may the squirrel products prosper!

Please check out her Etsy shop and website, both are filled with whimsical original work. I would also recommend checking out her recent blog post about how she took a leap of faith to follow her dream of becoming a graphic designer.

On New Years Day 2009 I wrote a brief post linking my favorite news stories from the previous year.  Nothing beats an epic tale, so I’ve decided to publish it again and continue the tradition.  Without further ado, here are my favorite stories from 2009:

1) Somali Pirates Again

Last week, according to the pirates and maritime officials in Kenya, the ship’s owners finally paid $3.2 million — in cash, dropped by parachute — to free the Faina and a day later the last of the heavily armed pirates made their way off the ship.

2) Colombia Confronts Drug Lord’s Legacy: Hippos

Doraldald, Colombia — Even in Colombia, a country known for its paramilitary death squads, this hunting party stood out: more than a dozen soldiers from a Colombian Army battalion, two Porsche salesmen armed with long-range rifles, their assistant, and a taxidermist.

They stalked Pepe through the backlands of Colombia for three days in June…

3) Metro Bus Driver Takes a Bite Out of McGruff the Crime Dog

The bus driver, 38-year-old Shawn Brim, climbed out of the bus, adjusted both sideview mirrors and then slugged McGruff in the face with his closed fist, according to a police report. Because the huge McGruff head offered little visibility, Hardy didn’t see the punch coming, one officer said.

4) Man with Cocaine-Filled Chicken Busted at Dulles

Chicken a la cocaine?

Federal officials said Friday that was on the menu after a man tried to pass through customs at Dulles International Airport last week carrying a fully cooked chicken. It turned out the bird was stuffed with the drugs, they said.

“It’s the Thanksgiving holiday, and this guy is bringing in a chicken. You’d expect a turkey,” said Steve Sapp, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

5)  Miles for Nothing: How the Government Helped Frequent Fliers Make a Mint

At least several hundred mile-junkies discovered that a free shipping offer on presidential and Native American $1 coins, sold at face value by the U.S. Mint, amounted to printing free frequent-flier miles. Mileage lovers ordered more than $1 million in coins until the Mint started identifying them and cutting them off.

Coin buyers charged the purchases, sold in boxes of 250 coins, to a credit card that offers frequent-flier mile awards, then took the shipments straight to the bank. They then used the coins they deposited to pay their credit-card bills. Their only cost: the car trip to make the deposit.

I hope everyone has a happy new year!