Lobbyists: Who Is Greasing the Wheels of Congress?
Who's winning the fight for influence in Washington? GOOD and Piece Studio look at the top lobbying industries and the money they give for an audience with our lawmakers.
Who's winning the fight for influence in Washington? GOOD and Piece Studio look at the top lobbying industries and the money they give for an audience with our lawmakers.View Lobbyists: Who Is Greasing the Wheels of Congress?
Twenty years ago, inside a maternity ward at Sutter Maternity Center in Santa Cruz, California,
Philippe Kahn’s Toshiba laptop computer sat on a desk alongside a C-section operating table where his wife was going to deliver their baby. Kahn, a French software engineer, also had a Motorola flip phone and a Casio digital camera stacked in his bag. He was nervous as he hadn’t been able to build the prototype he desired. He couldn’t find a way to connect the three things: camera, laptop, and web server. But while his wife, Sonia Lee, spent 18 hours in labor, she gave him an idea. The idea changed the photographic scene of the world forever. That day, on June 11, 1997, Kahn witnessed two births – one of his daughter Sophie and the other of the “world’s first camera phone,” a revolutionary beginning of instant photography, reported IEEE Spectrum.
Kahn had been working on his web-based photo technology for over a year. He called this technology by the name “Picture Mail.” The concept of Picture Mail was akin to what is today known as “sharing.” Users who wanted to share a picture and text with their friends and family were required to upload the picture on this web-based server. After the picture is uploaded, the server automatically creates a link to it on the web and sends it to all the people in the list through email alerts. The technology worked like a digital update system, quite similar to the social media notifications people receive today on platforms like X, Instagram, and Facebook.
But that day, as his wife got into labor, Kahn was running short on time. He hadn’t been able to complete this technology’s prototype. He couldn’t find a way to connect his laptop to the camera. But then his wife said something about a “cable” and “soldering iron.” That’s when Kahn’s engineering brain fathomed a trick. Excited, he rushed to the hospital’s parking and ripped up his car’s speakerphone. Using its cable, he connected the camera to the laptop which was further connected to a computer server that sat in his home’s kitchen a few miles away.
As a nurse transferred his newborn daughter into his arms, he instantly snapped a picture of the lovely face by holding the camera in his other hand. In another moment, the picture was uploaded to the server and over 2,000 people received email alerts with the link to Sophie’s photo. Owing to no Wi-Fi and low internet connectivity, the picture’s resolution was limited to
320x240 pixels. The resolution was limited, but not the emotion. “I'm holding the baby in my left hand and the camera in the other. It changed society and the way people evolve," Kahn said in a film by Conscious Minds, shared by National Geographic.
— (@)
Kahn said that his instant photo-sharing technology worked like “Point, Shoot, Share Instantly!” As his family and friends received the email alerts, they were enchanted by both the baby’s picture as well as by Kahn’s innovative photosystem. However, Kahn confessed that if it wasn’t for the last-minute rush, he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this feat with his jerry-rigged system. “It’s always the case that if it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would ever get done,” Kahn told IEEE Spectrum. Call it a new dad’s love that inspired him to do something.
Also, Kahn didn’t credit himself for inventing this instant-photo-sharing technology. He told IEEE Spectrum that other people had put photo sensors in their phones previously. Yet, it was indeed the first time when a photo was shared with hundreds of people in an instant after it got snapped. After this remarkable moment, Kahn kept working on improving and assembling his prototype. “After the baby,” he told IEEE Spectrum, “I spent the next month integrating the design, using a microcontroller, a CMOS sensor, and a phone.” In early 1998, he founded a company around the technology, Lightsurf, and is currently the holder of 235+ issued patents. He also took his project to companies like Kodak, Docomo, and Polaroid who were working on similar wireless camera products.
In 2016, Time magazine named his iconic 1997 photo of Sophie, one of the 100 most influential photos of all time. Looking back, Kahn always had the belief that his camera phone technology was going to change the way people documented the world around them. “There’s going to be a profound impact of instant imagery and sharing imagery that is going to change society and the way people evolve,” he said in the film. Nowadays, little do people know that the backstory of all their selfies and instant Instagram reels is held in a heartwarming moment when a dad held his newborn daughter for the first time.
Growing up with parents who have disabilities isn't easy for anyone and kids in such households grow up faster as they have more responsibilities at a young age. Zach and Courtney's young daughter Madison is one such child, and her life is often seen in posts on the family's Instagram account @oursignedworld. While the mom Courtney and daughter Madison are able-bodied, the father Zach is hearing impaired. In a popular video that gained over 9 million views on Instagram, Zach and Madison are seen at a drive-thru.
In the clip, Madison can be seen ordering for herself even though she is only 4 years old. The caption of the video clarified how Madison was only ordering for herself and how Zach usually places his orders. "As a Deaf person, I usually type out my order on my phone and show it at the window when I go through the drive-thru. But honestly, it doesn’t always go smoothly. However, Madison wanted to try ordering for herself this time, so I let her—and she loved it! She felt so proud of herself and like such a big girl," the caption read.
**FYI Madison is ordering food for herself not for me. However, as a Deaf person, I usually type out my order on my phone and show it at the window when I go through the drive-thru. But honestly, it doesn’t always go smoothly. However, Madison wanted to try ordering for herself this time, so I let her—and she loved it! She felt so proud of herself and like such a big girl 🙌🏼 #asl #signlanguage #deaf #deafdad #fatherdaughter #deafcommunity #deafawareness #coda #sign #toddlersigning #dadlife #drivethru #cute #sweetvideo #love@El Pollo Loco
As the father-daughter duo reach the intercom to place the order, Madison speaks loud and clear for a small portion of Mac and cheese. Then she requests for a spoon as well. Throughout this whole process, Zach continues to communicate with his daughter using sign language to figure out what she ordered and how much it cost. The worker taking Madison's order asks if she wants anything else and when Madison is done ordering, she signals her dad to drive to the next window to get the food. Since Zach is deaf he didn't realize when the woman at the drive-thru stopped speaking.
Madison used sign language to tell him that she had finished ordering.
When they reach the next window to get the food, the man handing over the meal to Zach wonders if the little girl is the one who placed the order. Madison confirms that her dad is deaf so she is ordering. Zach appreciates his daughter for making her first successful drive-thru order before they pay $5.79 for the meal and drive away. The people in the comment section appreciated how Zach and Courtney taught their daughter sign language and encouraged her to build social skills and become self-reliant.
@lenoreeronel wrote, "I think this is an amazing opportunity for her to build self-confidence and social skills and get real-life practice for things she will have to do independently later on." @patriciab_in_la commented, "Honestly I’m 49 years old (and hearing) and I get anxiety ordering at drive-thrus. Madison did amazing! I’d like to have her order for me next time." @worl_dsocole shared, "I’m learning ASL right now, only for the purpose of being able to speak to random strangers. I’m a people person and I love talking." @_prettaymarie added, "One thing about kids that came from us? They are gonna ADVOCATE for us! I love this. I’m not deaf but I see firsthand how my son and daughter have my back in public."
You can follow @oursignedworld on Instagram for more videos on family and disability awareness.
This article originally appeared last year.
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A couple struggling with loss had a great idea after seeing someone who looked like their son.
Police officers are supposed to keep people safe in the streets but some cops go out of their way to help them cope with grief and trauma as well. One such police officer is Jiang Jingwei, who selflessly continued to play the part of a grieving couple's deceased son for more than a decade for a special reason. According to the South China Morning Post, Xia Zhanhai and his wife Liang Qiaoying lost their son after a gas leak in 2003. The couple from the Shanxi province of northern China were affected terribly by their son's death.
A Chinese elderly woman at the window (Image source: Pamela Jo McFarlane for Getty Images)
The trauma left Liang paralyzed and cognitively impaired with the mental capacity of a 5-year-old kid. Her husband came up with a lie that their son was working in a distant city to soothe Liang's trauma. Xia then encountered the police officer Jiang who was in Shanghai and realized that the police officer had a striking resemblance to his deceased son. Xia contacted Jiang through a reality show in late 2013 to seek his help.
— (@)
Jiang agreed to the idea and met the couple on the show, posing as Xia and Liang's son as the ailing mother tearfully embraced him. Jiang was dedicated to his role as their son and in 2016 he even invited the couple to a sightseeing trip to Shanghai. He took a break from work in 2018 and traveled to Shanxi to celebrate the Lunar New Year with his new family. Jiang kept in touch with the couple through video calls for the next 11 years as their bond became stronger.
Xia also penned down an emotional letter to the Shanghai Public Security Bureau to thank Jiang for all he had done and expressed his gratitude for being their "son." "Thank you for training such a kind, compassionate, and responsible police officer. For over a decade, Jiang has quietly taken on the role of a son, bringing new life to our once grief-stricken family,” he wrote in his letter. On the other hand, Jiang never felt that caring for his "parents" was ever a burden to him. “As a community police officer, I also extend the same care and compassion to the elderly in my community,” Jiang mentioned to the outlet.
An elderly woman happy with her son in the park (Image source: hxyume for Getty Images)
He made another video call during the Chinese Chung Yeung Festival on October 11, 2024, and wished Xia and Liang good health. The news left people on social media emotional and they couldn't stop praising the police officer's efforts to protect the couple from grief. “Thank you, Jiang, for your kindness. The relationship you share with the couple has long transcended blood ties," one user on WeChat wrote, according to the South China Morning Post. “I was moved to tears. Even in a world filled with conflict and disasters, stories like this bring warmth and hope,” added another netizen. Jiang selflessly being there for more than a decade has brought happiness into the life of the couple who were left heartbroken after their son passed away.
It's not every day that a homeowner in the Bay Area's Piedmont neighborhood opens up the doors of their home to the needy. However, in 2019, property developer Terry McGrath did just that. He offered a homeless couple, Greg Dunston and his wife Marie McKinzie, a place to live in his $4 million mansion in California, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
Representative Image Source: Pexels I Photo by Pixabay
McGrath had read about the couple's plight back in January 2019. Greg and Marie had a difficult life and lived on the streets for almost a decade. Both of them faced physical disabilities. Before 2019, they were hopeful of winning of two-decade battle for disability income that would have resulted in several years’ worth of back pay. However, their claim was denied and they were back to sleeping in the doorway of an Alameda County building. After reading about the couple's difficulties, McGrath was inspired to get in touch with them and offer a space in his hilltop mansion.
Otis Taylor, a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle who covers homelessness in the Bay Area, met McGrath and the couple in a cafe. McGrath, who had ample space on his property and in his heart, was immediately moved to help them. The thing that struck him was the love between Greg and Marie and how "it was able to survive in probably one of the harshest environments on earth," per ABC.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Timur Weber
Taylor talked about the situation and said, "There was no decision, there was no thought, there was no judgment. I was just like 'This is done'," He continued, "I didn't vet them. These are human beings and they're not serial killers. They want to get out of the weather. They want a roof over their head. They want to be warm."
McGrath is hopeful that society will see people living on the streets as human beings before anything else. He said, "I don't think there's any other issue that is more symbolic about who we are as a society than this issue." He further added, "It's an absolute reflection of us. There is no other way to see it. Just because it's there doesn't make it right or make it acceptable."
While there were many positive responses as the couple moved into the upper-class neighborhood, there was also no shortage of negative responses. Shortly after their arrival, one neighbor who was unaware of the situation called 911 and told dispatchers, "I just pulled into the driveway and there's some strange folks hanging around the house." Someone even called the Piedmont Police and Fire Dispatch, saying, "I just wanted to notify you that this woman is sitting at Lexford and Hampton ... She's smoking a cigarette... could be drugs." But McGrath always stoop up for the couple and gave them the respect they deserved.
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Alex Green
After all the difficulties, the couple lived with McGrath for over a year and as of now, the homeowner has no plans of asking them to leave. He has clarified saying, "They're like family. There's no way I'm going to let them go back to the street," He added, "Most people who know me well know it's easy to start and it's hard to finish. And I'm never not going to finish."
While strolling through a quiet neighborhood, you might do a double take if you spotted this majestic sight. Concerned for the welfare of a dog perched on a roof, you’d likely approach the house and say, “Uh, I’m not sure if you know, but there’s...a dog on your ROOF."
To put passersby at ease and ebb the parade of concerned parties knocking on their door, Huckleberry's human put up a note explaining the whole weird scenario to those interested:
Reddit
It reads:
"Huckleberry is living up to his name and learned how to jump onto our roof from the backyard. We never leave him in the backyard without someone being at home. He will not jump off unless you entice him with food or a ball!" "We appreciate your concern but please do not knock on our door... we know he's up there! But please feel free to take pictures of him and share with the world! #hucktheroofdog."
Of course, they ended it with a hashtag for photos shared on social media. Also, it seems a little strange that the owners mention that Huck is willing to jump 10 feet off a roof to chase food or a ball, but do nothing to suggest that people refrain from urging their dog to make that (seemingly dangerous) leap. Maybe Huck's got the whole process down to the point it's just not a concern.
This may seem like a pretty odd phenomenon, but not so odd that there isn't a whole corner of Reddit devoted to dogs who just seem to really, really enjoy roofs. It's called r/dogsonroofs, and boy does it ever deliver on that name.
This article originally appeared last year.
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The "dancing plague" remains a mystery 500 years later
Engraving by Hendrik Hondius portraying three people affected by the plague. Work based on original drawing by Pieter Brueghel.
Her name was Frau Troffea, and she lived in Strasbourg. One day, in July of 1518, she simply started to dance. There was reportedly no music. No drumbeat. Just a woman dancing in the middle of a street for days on end. She, according to an article in Historyfacts.com, "danced alone and continuously for an entire week before several dozen others found themselves overcome by the urge to dance as well."
Days later, more than 30 people had joined her, consumed by choreomania (dance madness), some with such mania that , as writer Ned pennant-Rea described, "only death would have the power to intervene.". By August, more than 400 people had been overtaken by this "dancing plague," as it came to be called. Didn't matter if they were women, men, poor or wealthy. Big, small, older, younger…they had the dancing bug. And word is, some of them even danced themselves to death.
Apparently, it wasn't the first time this happened. Historyfacts.com continued, "There had been numerous reported outbreaks of 'dancing plagues' around the Holy Roman Empire in the preceding 500 years, including a significant one in 1374." Though some of the facts/stats of the matter, having not been physically recorded, remain a bit foggy.
To this day, we don't really know why. Here are a few theories.
Taking the fun out of fungi
Decomposing Fungi - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National ...www.nps.gov
One popular belief is that the people of this town got straight-up food poisoning. The ergot fungus, a mold that often grew in grain used to bake bread, might have contaminated the food supply, which could account for the convulsions and possible psychosis. And fun fact: it's similar in structure to LSD, which, sure, could make one want to trip the light fantastic. But for months? Not a great trip!
Author of A Time to Dance, A Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518, John Waller, pushed back on this theory, however. He didn't believe it was the most likely, according to his piece in the scientific journal The Lancet. "It is unlikely that those poisoned by ergot could have danced for days at a time. Nor would so many people have reacted to its psychotropic chemicals in the same way."
We'll get to his theory in a minute.
The devil made me do it
The Devil with a Sceptre (with candle) - Halloween 2023 | Flickrwww.flickr.com
Don’t you hate when you get cursed? Don’t you hate it even more when it’s the patron saint of dancing, Saint Vitus, who does the cursing? That's what many believed caused this affliction. For whatever reason, Saint Vitus was angry, and the only cure would be prayer at his shrine.
Back to John Waller, who posited that there may have been a few things at play. Due to the stress of the times (various disease outbreaks, lack of funds) and the quick jumping to conclusions that this MUST be some kind of divine or demonic possession, people just got stressed out. The more stressed they got, the more likely they were to just…kinda…join IN. It was a strange combination of superstition meets hunger/disease…hence, ya know, DANCING?
To this day, as mentioned, the mystery is really not solved. But then, neither is the mystery of why socks always get lost in dryers. Some things, we just may never know.
It became clear on Thursday, February 13 2025 that the National Parks Service had removed any mention of transgender individuals and the word queer from the Stonewall National Monument’s website–the Stonewall National Monument is the site of the famed Stonewall Uprising, a foundational event of the fight for queer civil rights, of which transgender and gender nonconforming people were an essential part. New York City activists and local government officials quickly assembled a “No LGB without T” Protest for the next day.
As the famed Stonewall Inn, site of the Uprising, and its corresponding Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative shared, “This blatant act of erasure not only distorts the truth of our history, but it also dishonors the immense contributions of transgender individuals–especially transgender women of color–who were at the forefront of the Stonewall Riots and the broader fight for LGBTQ+ rights.”
By noon on February 14, Christopher Park, the site of the Stonewall National Monument, was filled with speakers, leaders, activists, and citizens from the LGBTQ+ community, all decrying the aforementioned erasure–as it stands right now, the site only lists the designation “LGB” and does not use the word queer to explain the significance of the Stonewall National Monument. To ignore transgender and gender nonconforming contributions to the Stonewall Uprising is not only a factual error, it’s a dangerous one. Transgender and gender nonconforming people have been a vital part of queer history and American history since the country’s founding (and long before).
The commitment of such an outrageous fallacy comes on the heels of the administration’s Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” But transgender people can’t be erased from trans history, queer history, or American history. Speakers gathered to combat the erasure, calling for equal rights, for the National Parks Service and New York State elected officials to stand up for their constituents, for the importance of acknowledging trans and gender nonconforming contributions LGBTQ+ history, for the support of cisgender individuals, and for the support of trans and gender nonconforming lives.
Here are photos from the February 14 “No LGB Without the T” Protest.
Outside Christopher Park
Elyssa Goodman
At the Stonewall National Monument
Elyssa Goodman
Bernie Wagenblast, a voice of the NYC Subway, and activist Randy Wicker
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Activist Tabytha Gonzalez at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Reverend Yunus Coldman at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Performer, model, and activist Angelica Christina at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Performer and activist Marti Gould Cummings at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Activist Tanya Asapansa-Johnson Walker, co-founder of the New York Transgender Advocacy Group
Elyssa Goodman
Student and activist Lorelei Crean at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Clark Wolff Hamel, Acting Executive Director of PFLAG, at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Performer and activist Rene Imperato at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
Bernie Wagenblast, a voice of the NYC Subway, at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
A sign honoring transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson at the "No LGB Without T" Protest
Elyssa Goodman
At the "No LGB Without T" ProtestElyssa Goodman
Sister Rich B* Claire of the The NYC (dis)Order of SistersElyssa Goodman
Performer Chloe Elentari at the "No LGB Without T" ProtestElyssa Goodman
Outside Christopher Park, in front of restaurant Jeffrey's GroceryElyssa Goodman
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In a resurfaced live video, Adam Sandler plays a hilarious and impressive cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door."
Comedy and music are have always been joined at the hip, and that especially applies to performers from the sketch-comedy institution Saturday Night Live. (For a real deep dive on that subject, check out Questlove’s excellent documentary Ladies & Gentlemen … 50 Years of SNL Music.)
One of the show’s definitive two-way talents was Adam Sandler, though a lot of casual fans forget about his musical skills. Now they have a reminder: In a newly resurfaced clip from the 1992 Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, the "Sand Man" performs a solo acoustic snippet of Bob Dylan’s 1973 folk-rock classic "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door." His take is hilarious and technically impressive, drawing both cheers and laughter as he channels the snarling Guns N’ Roses version.
Sandler coyly giggles and vaguely explores his signature gibberish voice, picking through clean chords on his Fender Stratocaster. The real highlight, though, is his voice: He starts with a relatively faithful Axl Rose imitation, even stretching out the word "more" into a perfect "mo-oh-wuh," but he ramps up the intensity (and the octave) toward the end—resulting in a shriek that, in his words, sounds like "Axl turning into [famously screechy All in the Family character] Edith Bunker." Incredible.
Just for Laughs posted the clip on various social media channels, including a YouTube supercut called "Saturday Night Live Cast Members Can Sing!" The video also includes live footage from Tina Fey (singing a slinky cabaret tune), Martin Short (crooning a randy Sinatra-styled ballad), Jimmy Fallon, Sarah Silverman, and Jim Belushi.
Music has, indeed, been a through line of Sandler’s career, from numerous performances on SNL ("Lunch Lady Land," Opera Man) to film roles (he played the title character in 1998’s The Wedding Singer) to comedy albums to stand-up tours.
"I used to get so scared on stage and so nervous when I didn't have a guitar," he told NPR in 2023. "And I'd forget my lines. I'd forget my jokes, that kind of thing. And then, when I started playing guitar on stage and singing funny tunes, I had more confidence than usual. At least I could—I knew I could play guitar a little bit, and I knew the lines already from the song. I was like, OK, I memorized that, so let me just try that." Having the guitar, he said, "helped relax" him.
And it’s still a major part of Sandler’s comedy, even helping him process his grief. One of his finest moments is a musical tribute to late friend and SNL co-star Chris Farley—a piece featured on his solo tours, his Netflix special 100% Fresh, and the SNL episode that he hosted in 2019. It’s a Springsteen-leaning ballad that brings plenty of sharp one-liners, a psychedelic guitar solo, and some heartbreaking moments of reflection.
"The first few times we played that song, I would tear up and I couldn’t really sing it well because I’d get so emotional and then I felt it and was able to get it out there," he told "Happy Sad Confused" host Josh Horowitz.
A Chinese elderly woman at the window (Image source: Pamela Jo McFarlane for Getty Images)
An elderly woman happy with her son in the park (Image source: hxyume for Getty Images)
Representative Image Source: Pexels I Photo by Pixabay
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Timur Weber
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Photo by Alex Green
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Decomposing Fungi - Muir Woods National Monument (U.S. National ...
The Devil with a Sceptre (with candle) - Halloween 2023 | Flickr
Weekly Wrap Up: “Never Has a Nation So Small Inspired So Much in ...
At the "No LGB Without T" ProtestElyssa Goodman
Sister Rich B* Claire of the The NYC (dis)Order of SistersElyssa Goodman
Performer Chloe Elentari at the "No LGB Without T" ProtestElyssa Goodman
Outside Christopher Park, in front of restaurant Jeffrey's GroceryElyssa Goodman
