PHOTOS: The 2020 White House Christmas Decorations
Written by Dan Swartz
| Published on November 30, 2020
Planes, trains, and automobiles line the walls of the East Room, as part of the White House's 2020 holiday decorations, in a salute to America's history of technology and innovation. Photograph by Dan Swartz
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First Lady Melania Trump chose an "America the Beautiful" theme for the family's final Christmas at the White House. The 2020 White House Christmas decorations came together over the Thanksgiving weekend thanks to help from more than 125 volunteers from around the country.
This year's White House Christmas decorations follow a similar Trump design template—clean topiary displays and bold color schemes, in contrast with the more playful Obama arrangements (Lego displays, Bo and Sunny papier-mâché statues). More than 1,200 feet of garland, 3,200 strands of lights, 17,000 bows, and 62 Christmas Trees were used.
As for the traditional Gingerbread House display, the 2020 version is more elaborate than usual. For the first time, the White House's pastry team assembled a confectionary Rose Garden and First Ladies' Garden.
Photographer Dan Swartz got an inside look at all the decorations.
The official 2020 White House Christmas tree, a Fraser fir, stands more than 18 feet tall.
This year's Gingerbread House replicates the West Wing, Executive Residence, East Wing, Rose Garden, and First Ladies' Garden.
This is the first time the White House pastry team has featured the gardens in confectionery form.
The Cross Hall of the White House connecting the East Room to the State Dining Room.
Above the mantel in the Vermeil Room is Alma Thomas's abstract painting "Resurrection," the first work by an African American woman to be acquired for the White House collection.
A "White House Express" model train in the East Room is a nod to America's first transcontinental railroad.
The 2020 White House Christmas Tree, in the Blue Room, came from Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
The Green Room highlights American wildlife, with bird and butterfly ornaments displayed among the greenery.
The China Room, made over to resemble a home kitchen.
Stockings for the First Family, inside the China Room.
More than a hundred wreaths are on display throughout the White House this year.
The East Colonnade is designed to bring the outdoors inside, with foliage representing the official tree of each state and territory.
The official 2020 White House holiday card.
The East Room's decor is designed to celebrate American innovation and technology.
Masked White House staffers inside the building's ground-floor corridor.
The Gold Star Family Tree greets guests upon arrival in the East Wing and pays tribute to American military service members and their families.
The Seal of the President of the United States* above the doors to the Blue Room, which houses the official White House Christmas Tree.
A portrait of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who spearheaded a restoration of the White House, hangs in the Vermeil Room.
Model airplanes, including the Wright Flyer and Air Force One, inside the East Room.
The Red Room pays homage to America's first responders and frontline workers this year, with handmade ornaments highlighting the many professionals and volunteers who have served their communities.
The entrance to the Blue Room as seen from the White House's Grand Foyer.
A vignette in the window of the Green Room.
The Cross Hall of the White House, as photographed from the State Dining Room.
Garlands hang inside the entrance hall to the East Wing.
"The President's Own" United States Marine Band plays inside the White House's Grand Foyer.
In recognition of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's ratification, the White House Library spotlights women at the forefront of American achievement.
The White House's ground floor corridor connecting the Vermeil Room, Library, and China Room.
*Corrected.
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The big end of year Digital Content wrap up [Part 2]
Rob Fry
Categories: blog, dataviz
Welcome back! In part 1 we took a look at Visual.ONS (this year's biggest highlight for our team) and how it related to some of UKSA aims to make statistics more helpful. We then looked at some of my favourite pieces of content from the course of the year. Let's carry on.
Part of improving communication can be to reduce the amount of jargon and technical terms used. We strive to do this in anything we create, but sometimes a concept can be inherently difficult to understand and so we've experimented with explainer pieces. It's a format other publishers have experimented with, such as these from the BBC. We can't always rely on other organisations for this though and it's important that we have unbiased content to point people towards when they're having difficulty (on platforms like Twitter).
One example of a concept we saw people having trouble with was the UK's debt and deficit and so with the help of the Public Sector finance team we put together a short explainer piece looking at debt and deficit.
Do you understand the difference between debt and deficit?
This is still a content type we continue to grapple with in terms of reaching a wider audience. We've experimented with a number of different format types – articles/infographics/videos. We released this around the time of the Autumn Statement in an effort to help anyone who was struggling to understand the terminology – it attracted a lot of positive engagement on twitter, a selection of comments below:
Debt, deficit and lots of other terms flying around today – this guide from ONS sheds light on the jargon https://t.co/MnJIjsRC36
— Hugh Pym (@BBCHughPym) November 25, 2015
https://t.co/RdKls4z4jp Thank you @ONS for a clear and neutral explanation of public sector debt and the deficit
— Hannah Bailey (@digitalhannah23) November 20, 2015
Hurrah for the @ONS —great explainer of (the difference between) public sector debt and deficit https://t.co/pnBQ491qkI
— Koenfucius (@koenfucius) November 22, 2015
Charticles [don't like this title but…]
One of our most viewed posts this year was a fun look a how popular culture has influenced baby names. Every year the baby names release tops the ONS's most viewed chart. It's a release that divides opinion within ONS. Some people despair at its popularity compared with more critical outputs, while others revel in it.
Downtown Abbey's influence on baby names?
However, there's no denying that it's a release that could be useful to thousands of expectant parents every year and everyone has that natural curiosity as to how their name compares, so some analysis and promotion of the data seems appropriate.
It's a subject that allows more creative freedom compared with a piece on the state of the economy (for example). This post from earlier in the year talks about some of the thinking behind the piece and how it was received, but needless to say that it was incredibly popular and syndicated far and wide. You know it's done well when it makes your Facebook news feed independently!
What next for Visual.ONS?
In the short-term it'll be more of the same. The site remains in Beta though and as always we're really keen to hear your feedback – you can email us via web.comments@ons.gov.uk – leave a comment below, or via twitter @ONSdigital or @fryford
It's not been all Visual.ONS
While a lot of our time has been focused on delivering content for Visual.ONS there are many other activities our team have been leading over the past year.
We've been busy continuing to run GSS training on the Introduction to Data Visualisation and earlier this year we launched a data visualisation section on Style.ONS. This is seen as something that complements the training – the training goes into much more of the reasoning behind data visualisation principles. The reaction has been really positive.
An awesome/useful/comprehensive/free quick-start guide to data visualization | Style.ONS https://t.co/hP9bJyyajI pic.twitter.com/aVKxP4FDXm
— Evan Sinar, PhD (@EvanSinar) October 26, 2015
Looks interesting MT @DiegoKuonen: MT @HartlandZoe: Data vis guidance (tables, charts & color) http://t.co/g8YSYcofXF pic.twitter.com/ERGFzcU8Ll
— Alberto Cairo (@albertocairo) July 9, 2015
Essential reading for anyone publishing anything in Whitehall- Chart design | Style.ONS http://t.co/2vz5pnk1VY
— Audree Fletcher (@avfletcher) July 20, 2015
We also had the pleasure of taking part in an AMA on the Data is Beautiful sub-Reddit. It was a fun couple of hours – take a look.
Our social media team have been more active on this blog so I won't talk so much about their work but they've been busy with social media reviews, budget and autumn statement among other work.
Goodbye/Hello
There have been a number of departures for pastures new. Notably Alan Smith, (former head of the digital content team) took up a prominent role as Data Visualisation Editor at the Financial Times in September. Alan had been at ONS for a number of years, launching the Data Visualisation Centre over seven years ago. It's fair to say that his work has been something that ONS has collectively been proud of. He leaves a legacy that we will continue to build upon.
Over the course of the year we've also welcomed several new additions to the team with varied backgrounds. This has further grown digital content team into a truly multidisciplinary team of researchers, data visualisation developers, graphic designers, editors and social media specialists.
Early in 2016 we look forward to welcoming Darren Waters, joining us from the Press Association as our visual journalism lead.
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The 17 Most Gloriously WTF Looks At The 2017 Met Gala
This year honored Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Kylie Jenner attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images For US Weekly)
Last night was the Met Gala, the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. But more importantly, the event offers the most ogled red carpet this side of the Oscars. This year's gala honored Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo, at least giving the stars a designer to steer toward.
Beyond that, all bets were off.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Rihanna attends the 'Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between' Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
We're not gonna shade anyone—what fun would the gala be if everyone played it safe? Instead we're sharing our picks for the most deliciously over-the-top
looks. Some were visions of couture beauty—and others looked like they were snatched from the Drag Race main stage.
We wish we could rock the painted-bald look so well.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Jennifer Connelly attends "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala - O at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Madonna attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images For US Weekly)
We're not sure why Madge went with a camouflage pattern—it's obvious she had no intention of hiding.
Amy Fine Collins
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Amy Fine Collins attends "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
As Gay Star News pointed out, fashion writer Amy Fine Collins' Thom Browne ensemble is suspiciously similar to Violet Chachki's gender-bending runway look from Season 7.
instagram/Logo TV
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Maggie Gyllenhaal attends "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala - O at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Grace Hartzel attends "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala - O at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Julianne Moore and Ashton Sanders
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images For Entertainment Weekly
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Julianne Moore and Ashton Sanders attend the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images For Entertainment Weekly)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Nicki Minaj is seen departing the Carlyle Hotel to attend "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Rihanna is seen departing the Carlyle Hotel to attend "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Singer Katy Perry attends "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)
From California Gurl to the Bride of Dracula.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Celine Dion attends the 'Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between' Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Someone looks like they're having fun with the whole thing—which is really the point, isn't it?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 01: Katie Holmes attends the 'Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between' Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
This, however, is not what having fun looks like.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Kendall Jenner attends "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra attend the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images For Entertainment Weekly)
Remi Malek
Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Rami Malek attends the Marc Jacobs afterparty of the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between Costume Institute Gala at the Boom Boom Room on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images)
Remi, you look dreadful in that suit. Take it off immediately—preferably in our bedroom.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Bella Hadid attends the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Did she leave part of the dress at home?
Courtney Love and Francis Bean Cobain
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 01: Frances Bean Cobain (L) and Courtney Love attend the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
No T, no shade: Best looking mother-daughter combo of the night.


Food and Farm
As Rocky Mountain Snow Starts To Melt, Colorado River Forecast Worsens
By Luke Runyon • May 7, 2018
Drought conditions continue to worsen throughout the desert southwest. More than 68 percent of the Colorado River watershed is experiencing drought conditions classified as severe or worse.
Luke Runyon / KUNC
2018 wasn't the worst winter on record for the southern Rocky Mountain region, but it was close to it.
"It was an extreme year on the dry side, widespread across the Colorado River Basin," says Greg Smith, a hydrologist at the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (CBRFC) in Salt Lake City.
The river supplies water to about 40 million people in seven states and to the country of Mexico.
The Colorado River's tributaries in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico are all projected to flow at below average levels. The San Juan, Animas, Dolores and Duchesne rivers in Colorado and Utah are among the regions worse projections for flows.
"These are the really sad basins," Smith says, noting that each basin saw snow measurement sites at record low levels, ranging from just 51 to 66 percent of normal. The only river within the watershed projected to flow above average is the Upper Green River in southwestern Wyoming.
A lack of spring precipitation and winter snowpack have caused widespread drought in the southwest, including the Colorado River watershed.
Credit Courtesy U.S. Drought Monitor
"I've been here over 30 years," Smith says. "It's the second lowest runoff season I've ever seen."
Already depleted reservoirs along the Colorado River like lakes Powell and Mead are likely to take a hit with low river flows. Lake Powell is expected to see its fifth lowest runoff season in 54 years, according to the CBRFC. The reservoir is forecast to receive 43 percent of average inflow. That's a downgrade from April's forecast when it was projected to record its sixth-lowest runoff.
Smaller reservoirs within the system will see their supplies drop as well. McPhee Reservoir in southwestern Colorado is expected to have its second lowest runoff on record, and Navajo Reservoir in northern New Mexico is on track to record its third lowest.
"There's not much to be positive about," Smith says.
More than 68 percent of the Colorado River watershed is experiencing drought conditions that are classified as severe or worse. Smith says warm weather throughout the basin could cause many Rocky Mountain rivers and streams to reach their highest seasonal flows within the next week.
This story is part of a project covering the Colorado River, produced by KUNC and supported through a Walton Family Foundation grant. KUNC is solely responsible for its editorial content.
Topic: Western Water Coverage
Colorado River Watershed
Hopes For 'Miracle' Snowpack Recovery Fade; Colorado River Headed For 6th-Driest Year
By Luke Runyon • Apr 4, 2018
The Colorado River Basin is likely to see one of its driest spring runoff seasons on record this year, according to federal forecasters.
Scientists at the Salt Lake City-based Colorado Basin River Forecast Center say current snowpack conditions are set to yield the sixth-lowest recorded runoff into Lake Powell since the lake was filled more than 50 years ago.
As Arizona Nears Record Low Snowpack, Water Managers Urge Caution, But Not Panic
By Casey Kuhn & KJZZ • Mar 29, 2018
Casey Kuhn / KJZZ
The Salt River Project (SRP) puts on an annual water expo, and this year's featured a pile of cold, wet, white powdery stuff on a hot sunny day in Tempe.
SRP Hydrologist Andrew Volkmer put snowshoes on two young boys while their guardian looked on.
This is the first time they've worn snow shoes, they said, and their guardian said someone might need to explain to them first what snow is.
Western Water Managers Meet To Relieve Colorado River Tension
After nearly a month of terse exchanges among water managers in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona about Colorado River conservation strategies, representatives from the five states met Monday in Salt Lake City to hash out their differences.
At issue is how the Central Arizona Project (CAP) -- the operator of a 336-mile aqueduct that pumps Colorado River water to farmers and cities -- is conserving water in Lake Mead, the river's largest reservoir. The project is managed by the Central Arizona Water Conservancy District (CAWCD) and is the state's largest water provider.
Five Things To Know About The Latest Colorado River Dust Up
By Luke Runyon & Bret Jaspers • Apr 20, 2018
A quiet, rising tension over water in the southwest has burst into the public square.
Agencies that manage and dole out the Colorado River's water in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico are attempting to publicly shame an increasingly isolated water agency in Arizona. The feud has the potential to either upset, or reignite, negotiations over the river's future.
The Rocky Mountains Are Dusty, And It's A Problem
By Luke Runyon • Apr 17, 2018
A menace lurks beneath the snow high up in the southern Rocky Mountains.
At first glance it seems innocuous, another piece of a dynamic alpine ecosystem, certainly unable to cause the cascade of problems scientists say it could. How could something so simple undermine our water infrastructure, stress wildlife and lengthen the wildfire season all at once?
For most of the winter it stays hidden, buried under blankets of snow. Then, the days grow longer. The sun's rays begin to melt the top layers, causing water to percolate through the snow and ice or evaporate, revealing the villain of this story.
Dust.


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Home»Odd News»Connecticut man arrested after allegedly killing, dismembering infant daughter
Connecticut man arrested after allegedly killing, dismembering infant daughter
By Steinar December 3, 2022 No Comments3 Mins Read
A Connecticut man accused of murdering and dismembering his 11-month-old daughter was arrested on Friday after two weeks on the run, according to police.
Christopher Francisquini, 31, was taken into custody around 3 p.m. Friday by Waterbury Police. He is accused of killing his infant daughter Camilla on Nov. 18 in their Naugatuck home.
He is charged with murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a minor, and had his bond set at $5 million.
According to the Naugatuck Police Department, Camilla was choked, stabbed and dismembered in the home.
FBI TO CONNECTICUT FUGITIVE CHRISTOPHER FRANCISQUINI: 'THE SEARCH WILL NOT STOP UNTIL WE FIND YOU'
Christopher Francisquini, 31, was taken into custody at around 3 p.m. Friday by Waterbury Police. He is accused of killing his baby daughter Camilla on November 18 in their home in Naugatuck.
(Naugatuck Police Department)
Francisquini then got into an argument with the baby's mother, who at the time was unaware that her daughter was dead. Francisquini allegedly destroyed the mother's cellphone, removed a GPS tracking device from his ankle and fled from the residence in a 2006 gray Chevy Impala.
The car was later found abandoned on Interstate 91, police said.
Camilla's body was discovered by a family member. Her cause of death was determined to be from neck compressions and stab wounds.
"Francisquini's capture is a clear example of what can be accomplished when community members work with law enforcement to take dangerous individuals off the street," the Naugatuck Police Department said in a statement. "Within 28 hours of asking the public's help, he was taken into custody without incident and will now face justice."
According to the Naugatuck Police Department, Camilla was choked, stabbed and dismembered by Francisquini in their home.
Video released by Waterbury Police shows Francisquini at a bus stop surrounded by about a dozen officers with their guns drawn. Officers yell at him to get on the ground. He follows the order and is then swarmed and cuffed.
Police said the arrest was made after a concerned citizen called the anonymous tip line. The caller told police that Francisquini had changed his appearance, but could still be recognized.
FBI RELEASES NEW PHOTOS, INCREASES REWARD IN MANHUNT FOR CHRISTOPHER FRANCISQUINI
Francisquini is charged with murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a minor, and had his bond set at $5 million.
The FBI was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Naugatuck police have requested that residents wear pink during the town's tree-lighting ceremony on Saturday night for what would have been Camilla's first birthday.
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