stories about people doing things

Newsweek has a good interview with Tammy Duckworth, the war veteran who lost both her legs in Iraq, unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Illinois' Sixth District last November, and was recently appointed director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs: Fighting the System from Within

Here's a really interesting story on Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the naked 9-year-old Vietnamese girl who was photographed running from a napalm attack on her village—one of the most iconic photographs of the Vietnam War... she's now grown up and using her notoriety for good, serving as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace: Napalm victim: I know the value of peace

A month after her old contract expired, Us Weekly Editor Janice Min has signed a new two-year deal totaling somewhere around $2.5 million to keep running the celebrity "news" magazine: MIN SIGNS 2-YR. DEAL TO RUN US. Whew. I can keep counting on Janice to run the latest celebrity weight loss/gain photos.

Has Raymond Chow, who built a reputation as one of Chinatown's most notorious gangsters, turned a new leaf? He says he's changed his ways and now leading a law-abiding life. Here's a very interesting SF Weekly article on the man known as "Shrimp Boy": Enter the Dragon Head

The New York Times has an article on Harvinder Anand, the recently elected mayor of Laurel Hollow, on Long Island—the first member of any minority group to be mayor of this 95-percent-white community of 2,000: This 'Harry' Stands Out From the Crowd. He's part of an interesting recent trend, a small but growing number of Indian American officeholders getting elected in communities across the nation where they are part of just a small minority.

First heard about this weird case over at Poplicks, about Robert Woo, an oral surgeon in Washington who pulled a bizarre prank on his assistant (involving fake boar tusks), who quit and sued Woo, who then turned around and sued his insurance company... and won: Oral surgeon gets last laugh over boar-tusk prank. Talk about a big legal mess. Woo starts all this, and yet ends up walking away with $750,000? Ridiculous.

Chaplain Rajan Zed, the first Hindu to deliver an opening prayer in the U.S. Senate, writes about his experience delivering the 90-second prayer, which prompted quite a bit of discussion and protest: My Prayer for the Senate and the Nation. Some idiots protestors interrupted his reading, but he handled it with dignity and respect.

The reality TV show world just got a little more cluttered... Just saw a commercial for Baby Phat designer Kimora Lee Simmons' new reality show Life in the Fab Lane on the Style Network: 'Life in the Fab Lane': We Want to Be Kimora Lee Simmons. More here: Smile! It's candid Kimora. I think I'll pass on this one.

Queens Councilman John Liu, the first—and only—Asian American elected to New York's city council, has raised a whoppin' $1.6 million for an unspecified campaign in 2009, when his term on the council must end: Lotta loot for Liu's future. The only question is, what is he going to use the money for? In other words, what will be his next stop in politics?

Here's an interview with Hung, one of the contestants on the current season of Bravo's Top Chef: Hung Up on Top Chef. The guy definitely comes across on the show as just a tad overconfident. But heck, he makes things interesting. Also note that Sara N. is also one of the contestants this season.