Ellen Miller wants to open up Capitol Hill to outside eyes.

Ellen Miller has spent decades around Capitol Hill looking at money’s influence on Washington. In the process she founded two groups focused on money and politics: the Center for Responsive Politics—the force behind the campaign-donation-disclosure database OpenSecrets.org—and Public Campaign. Now, as cofounder of the Dupont Circle–based Sunlight Foundation, she works to combine the open-source-technology movement with the open-government movement.

• Sunlight was founded two years ago to harness the Internet and social media to shine more light on Congress, to digitize existing political information and put it online and into the hands of citizens. We want to create 21st-century-style accountability for lawmakers and help facilitate better connections between lawmakers and their constituents. We think about our work as handing out tens of thousands of flashlights to people rather than focusing one single spotlight on the inner workings of the Hill.

• One of our goals is to have every report filed by a member of Congress posted online in real time. We want to expand the reporting requirements too so that the work of Congress is an open book. We know there are some on Capitol Hill who are open to using technology, but there’s a cultural resistance—slowly, slowly breaking down—to revealing more and revealing it faster.

We've got fresh reviews and early looks at two buzzed-about spots in DC: Pete's Apizza and Cork. Check them out.

Sad news: Senator Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

A ban against late-term abortions in Virginia was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court.

The good times just roll on at Washington’s Dickstein Shapiro, where ace patent attorney Gary Hoffman has nailed down a $501-million win in a case involving heart-stent coatings.

Dickstein has been a trendsetter among national corporate law firms in taking cases on partial contingency rather than a strict hourly rate. As a result, Dickstein’s 150 partners will share in a huge windfall that could net each partner an additional $600,000 if the award against Boston Scientific is upheld on appeal.

In 2003, the firm worked on a massive price-fixing case in the cattle-feed industry that netted profits of $1.4 million a partner. That year Dickstein lawyers vaulted over such older and better-known Washington rivals as Covington & Burling and Hogan & Hartson to become the best paid in town.

Two years ago, a patent case against the makers of the hand-held BlackBerry device brought instant riches to partners at Dickstein’s downtown neighbor, Wiley Rein. Wiley Rein partner Jim Wallace was one of the first to send a congratulatory note to Dickstein’s lead patent counsel, Hoffman, warning that now all his partners can start giving advice on what to do next.

What I've Learned: Robert Horan
For 40 years, Robert Horan put murderers and rapists away. He leaves office with continuing sympathy for their victims—and no regrets about those he sent to death row.

Gunslinger Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter, one of America’s top film critics, also writes novels filled with the guns and violence he loves in movies. Whether armed with a pen or a .45, he’s a force.

Deals: Booking a Bargain
A New York hotel takes half off its rate. And here are four good Mid-Atlantic resorts—with everything from golf to hiking to spas—that offer big values for spring and summer.

Pets: Keeping Sparky in Shape
If you give your pets lots of treats and feed them from the table, you might be making them fat. Here are tips on watching their weight.

Washingtonians took over the Swedish Embassy on Friday night for the second House of Sweden After Dark party. Organizers hoped to recreate the energy of February's inaugural soiree, which was deemed a smashing success, but without inciting a similar mob scene. This time, they raised the ticket price to $20 and nixed the open bar.

People trickled in slowly at first, but by 10:30, the sold-out party had turned in to a breathing-room only affair. Swarms of cocktail-attired twentysomethings took to the dance floors inside and on the VIP-only roof deck. DJs spun tracks from 9 until midnight. The two cash bars and plates of tasty Swedish bites kept the crowd energized.

Were you at the House of Sweden After Dark party on Friday? Maybe you showed up in the photos we took. Check below for our slideshow.

Jaclyn Williamowsky and Suzy Meshbane at ZooFari.

The hordes came out Thursday night for the National Zoo's ZooFari 2008: Frogs & Friends. The annual spring gala raises money for the zoo—plus offers up good food, drinks, and adorable animals. Click below for our photo slideshow of the evening.

Just call DC Margaritaville. We've got a roundup on our favorite area margaritas. Add yours to the comments—and why not indulge in one this weekend?

SmartBikes are coming! SmartBikes are coming! (In early June.)

Apples and Bananas points us towards three new food blogs. Did you know there is now a blog entirely dedicated to the restaurants of Columbia Heights? Well, now you do.

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge expansion is finally done! But the celebration for it yesterday caused huge delays in the area. Oh, irony.