Human Rights Lawyer Asma Jahangir. Shes been at the forefront of the movements for womens rights, human rights and peace in Pakistan for twenty years. She co-founded the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. In her work shes defended a boy against the charge of blasphemy-the penalty would have been death. Shes defended the right of women to chose their own husbands. Because of her efforts shes been arrested, received death threats, and been the target of hostile propaganda.
Friedwald, the author of books like –Jazz Singing: Americas Greatest Voices from Bessie Smith to Bebop to Beyond—, –Sinatra! The Song is You: A Singers Art— and a contributor to Tony Bennetts autobiography –The Good Life.— Most recently, he wrote the liner notes for Mosaic Records release of –The Complete Columbia Mildred Bailey Sessions,— a comprehensive 10 disc set of the legendary singers recordings. He talks today about Baileys influence in American music.
Tom Kelley is the General Manager of IDEO, a design firm that has created some of the most successful and well-often used products, such as the first Apple mouse, Polaroids I-Zone instant camera, the Palm V pilot, the Crest Neat Squeeze standup toothpaste tube, and the Oral-B soft grip kids toothbrush. The company is known for its innovation, cutting-edge design, and attention to how products are used in real-life situations. His new book is The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, Americas Leading Design Firm.
J.J. Johnson, a pioneer of the modern jazz trombone died Sunday at his home in Indianapolis. He was 77. It was an apparent suicide. Johnson was considered the definitive trombonist of the bebop generation. He played with the Count Basie Orchestra, Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Wood Herman, and Miles Davis, often balancing that with leading his own band. Later in life, Johnson moved to Hollywood to work as a composer and arranger for television.
Salzman is the author of the new novel, Lying Awake about a cloistered nun who discovers that her spiritual visions may be induced by epilepsy. The book explores the connection between neurologic disorders and mysticism. Salzman is also the author of the novel The Soloist, and a memoir, Lost in Place. He is also a cellist.
Briggs is the creator of Who Wants to Be a Millionare? which premiered on British television in September 1998 and thereby set the phrase (or its translation) "Is that your final answer?" into orbit. The shows format has been licensed in 80 countries including India, Japan, Greece, and of course, the U.S.
Parsons invented the reality format show Survive, but couldn't get any interest for it in Britain. In 1996 Strix Television in Sweden bought the format rights for Survive, and went on to produce Expedition Robinson. It has become the most successful and controversial TV series in Scandinavia.
Peter Hessler is the author of River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze (HarperCollins). Its about his two years in Fuling, China as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English and American literature at a local college. The book was serialized in The New Yorker.
Kraft was NASAs first flight director, from the first forays into space in the 1960s to after Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969. Kraft also created Mission Control. He has written a new book, –Flight: My Life In Mission Control.
Hes just published his first novel The Death of Vishn. The book follows the lives of the many inhabitants of a Bombay apartment building—including Vishnu, the homeless man who lives in the buildings stairwell. Based on the writers childhood in Bombay, the book has met praise from critics for its inclusion of Hindu mythology and cinema. When not writing, Mr Suri is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Maryland.
Humanitarian aid worker Kenneth Gluck. He was working with Doctors Without Borders in Chechnya when he was kidnapped and held for 26 days. He was released on February 3rd. Gluck still isn't sure who kidnapped him or who freed him. It could have been Chechen gangs, who have seized other humanitarian workers. Or it could have been Russian authorities who staged the abduction for propaganda purposes. The Russians claimed credit for freeing him.
FBI special agent Christopher Whitcomb. He was part of the agency hostage rescue team. The team is the equivalent to the Navy SEALs and the Army Delta Force. As such he particpated in the missions at Waco, Ruby Ridge and Kosovo. He is currently director of strategic information management for the Critical Incident Response Group. He written the new book: Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team
Iranian born novelist Salar Abdoh. His first novel The Poet Game, (2000, Picador USA) is a fictitious account of an Iranian secret agent sent to New York City to investigate rumored terrorist plots, in the wake of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The main character, Sami Amir poses as a terrorist to try and stop the attacks. Salar Abdoh fled Iran with his father and brothers following the revolution in 1979. Abdoh earned a master degree in Creative Writing from the City College of New York. He lives in New York City.
Venkatesh, an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of African American Studies at Columbia University in New York. His newest book –American Project: The Rise and Fall of the Modern Ghetto,— (Harvard 2000) was awarded the 2000 Professional/ Scholarly Publishing Award of the Association of American Publishers. His research interests are based in investigating the social organization of poor urban neighborhoods. He lives in New York City.
