One of Sunlight's resident creative geniuses (yes, there are many of them) have taken all the Defense Appropriations Earmarks and made them available for viewing within Google Earth. (You can only view this using Google Earth which you can download from this page.) The regular Google Maps version is available here.

And as they say: a picture really is worth a 1,000 words. One of our policy wonks loved the flight simulator that allows you to fly over earmark locations. It allows you to fly your choice of two aircraft anywhere around the globe, with custom layers visible from the aircraft. The simulator is hidden within the latest version of the program, and takes some getting used to controlling, but is certainly an entertaining way to experience the Earth's actual geography-and to educate yourself politically at the same time.

The Cincinnati Enquirer shines  a light on the federal dollars hauled in by Greater Cincinnati's nine-member  House and Senate delegation. When it  comes to delivering the pork, the paper found that Sen. Mitch McConnell is the area's most powerful member. McConnell, a member of the Senate  Appropriations Committee, hauled in $391 million in federal funding for local  projects in budget bills being worked on in Congress, more than 1½ times the  amount that the area's other eight lawmakers got -- combined.

In a dramatic contrast, House Minority Leader  John Boehner is a teetotaller. He doesn't believe in earmarks and hasn't asked for any money for local  projects in the 13 spending bills that make up the federal budget. 
The  Enquirer built their own search engine that  allows readers to search what earmarks local members have gotten in spending  bills that are pending in Washington. Update: It bears mentioning that the database shows just how lousy the new Senate disclosure requirements on earmarks is. There are no company names. Just a general description of what the money should be spent on. The Enquirer writes about Earmark Watch, a joint project of Taxpayers for Common Sense and the Sunlight Foundation.  

Kudos  to The Enquirer.  Hopefully more papers will do the same and  start following what their congressional delegation is doing with our  money.